Leopard frog studies may lead to protection
By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
July 2, 2009
A frog that was once common in and around Grand Teton National Park is being considered for Endangered Species Act protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday.
The northern leopard frog is endemic to 19 states, including Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Colorado and South Dakota, but is on the decline, according to several conservation groups that petitioned Fish and Wildlife for a scientific review of the species. The conservation groups include the Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and the Center for Native Ecosystems.
“Northern leopard frogs are the canary in the coal mine for our water quality across a large part of the country,” Erin Robertson, senior staff biologist for the Center for Native Ecosystems, said in a statement. “When these frogs are at risk of extinction, we should be alarmed about the state of our wetlands and our waterways.”
Zack Walker, a herpetologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, said the frogs exist throughout Wyoming but likely face threats that include habitat alteration and fragmentation, pesticides, ranavirus and the chytrid fungus, a pathogen that scientists think might be causing declines in frog populations around the world.
“There’s no real smoking gun that can be pointed to,” Walker said from his office in Cheyenne.
“The leopard frog is one of those frogs that is hard to gauge here in the state,” he said. “Are we seeing them start to decline? Are they still doing fine? We’re trying to figure out what is going on.”
The frog — which can be green, brown or yellow — is 2 to 4.5 inches long with large oval dark spots surrounded by a lighter halo.
The Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting scientific information until Aug. 31.
