"The last Cascades frog in Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California was well known to amphibian survey crews. Year after year, she turned up near Juniper Lake, full of eggs, seeking a mate. But it was a hopeless search; there were no other frogs left. She appeared one last time in 2007. Cascades frogs were once plentiful in the park; now, researchers believed, there were none."
"Seeing that final frog inspired ecologist Karen Pope to shift from observational research to studying nature to help restore it. "We've gotten to a place where, if we sit back, we're going to keep watching the last frog," said Pope, who recently retired from the Forest Service. Now, thanks to a collaboration among timber companies, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and scientists from Washington State University, scientists are reintroducing Cascades frogs to Lassen Volcanic National Park."
The last known Cascades frog in Lassen Volcanic National Park appeared in 2007; thereafter the species was believed extirpated from the park. Ecologist Karen Pope shifted from observational work to active restoration after witnessing that final frog. A collaboration of timber companies, federal and state wildlife agencies and Washington State University is reintroducing Cascades frogs to the park. The species faces drought, habitat degradation, invasive trout predation and chytrid fungus, which has driven regional declines. Sierra Pacific Industries and Collins Pine own lands hosting the last healthy regional population, where frogs fare better against chytrid, possibly due to habitat features or evolved resistance.
Read at High Country News
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