September 22, 2006

Hundreds of Chiricahua leopard frogs – a species listed by the federal government as threatened – recently hopped to new homes in Arizona, thanks to biologists from the Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service and the Phoenix Zoo.

Arizona’s current drought, disease, habitat loss and other problems have added to the decline of this frog species in our state. This release is part of a larger plan to help with the frog’s recovery.

“Until the 1970s, Chiricahua leopard frogs lived in ponds and creeks across central and southeastern Arizona, but we’ve seen real population declines since then,” says Mike Sredl, an Arizona Game and Fish Department herpetologist. “Now, you can only find them in a few waterways that don’t have many non-native predators. Bullfrogs, crayfish and other non-native fish are a real problem for Chiricahua leopard frogs.”

The frogs were released this month in a part of the Tonto National Forest called the Gentry Creek area, near Payson. These frogs started out as eggs collected in places where the resulting frogs would have had a tough time surviving because of poor habitat conditions. Biologists at the Phoenix Zoo reared the eggs into adult frogs.

“The Phoenix Zoo is pleased to participate in this program with other passionate conservationists in an effort to save this frog species,” says Dr. Roberto Aguilar, Phoenix Zoo director of conservation and science.

While still at the zoo, the frogs got a pre-release treatment with a fungicide, so they wouldn’t spread or fall victim to an emerging disease called chytridiomycosis, which is killing amphibians worldwide. Then, they were loaded up into containers inside coolers to keep them from overheating on the three-hour drive to their new homes. Some tadpoles were also transported in coolers with small aerators to keep the water oxygenated. Habitat restoration projects took place in the Gentry Creek area before today’s release, so the frogs and tadpoles will be able to flourish.

“The frog release is a culmination of cooperative efforts between Arizona Game and Fish Department, the Phoenix Zoo, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA Forest Service and the Clark family of the Red Lake allotment, the ranchers currently using the property where the frogs were released,” says Steve Lohr, a forest biologist with Tonto National Forest. “This is an excellent example of how partnerships can recover endangered and threatened species.”

A recovery team was created to help bring the Chiricahua leopard frog back from the brink of extinction. The team recently developed a draft recovery plan to hopefully get the frog off the endangered and threatened species list. The plan includes more releases of Chiricahua leopard frogs through October, plus working to restore habitat, monitoring current populations and using adaptive management strategies.

“We’re optimistic that these types of cooperative recovery efforts will slow and eventually reverse the decline of the Chiricahua leopard frog,” says Jeff Servoss, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. “We are equally excited about the cooperative spirit that we have received from the local community in promoting the conservation of this important riparian species.”

The Chiricahua leopard frog is a greenish-brown frog that grows to be about 4 inches long. The frog has been listed as threatened since 2002.