14th Annual Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) egg mass surveys at Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge to occur in March 2012
If interested, please contact: Tiffany Hicks, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife,E-mail: Tiffany.Hicks@dfw.wa.gov, Office phone: (360) 902-2544.
Description Below:
What’s it all about? The marsh-specialized Oregon spotted frog is the amphibian species at greatest risk of extirpation across the higher rainfall portions of the North American Pacific Northwest (PNW). The Oregon spotted frog is listed as an Endangered Species in Washington State, and a US Federal Endangered Species Act Candidate Species. Presumed extinct in northwestern California and the Willamette Valley of Oregon and represented by highly localized remnant populations in the Puget Trough-Georgia Basin of Washington State and British Columbia, this species is known from about 40 local populations across a historic geographic range that extended from the southern margin of the Fraser River in southwest British Columbia to the upper Pit River system in northwest California.
The Conboy Lake NWR Oregon spotted frog population is unique in two ways. It is one of the largest Oregon spotted frog populations across its geographic range; and it is one of the few known Oregon spotted frog populations successfully co-existing with bullfrogs, a condition in place at this site for over 60 years. Both conditions make this population key in understanding Oregon spotted frog ecology. As a consequence, this population has been the focus of study since 1997. A basic part of this effort has been volunteer-supported monitoring that has conducted egg mass counts on Conboy Lake NWR since 1998. Conboy NWR, nestled in the Glenwood Valley, Klickitat County, WA, is located in the spectacular pre-montane landscape just southeast of Mount Adams, and approximately 1.5 hours east-northeast of Portland. See http://www.fws.gov/conboylake/ for more information about the refuge.
These surveys could not be possible without the assistance of many volunteers…one of which could be YOU!
Training will be provided on site. Field days are typically 9:00AM to 5:00PM. You will need raingear, and well-fitting hip waders or chest waders, as you will typically be doing a lot of walking in water 1-2 feet or so in depth. You should also pack food and water, and warm layers for the duration. Children are welcome with adult supervision. Pets are not allowed on the refuge. For volunteers who wish to survey for more than one day on Fridays-Sundays during the surveys, shared lodging is provided at Mt. Adams Lodge at the Flying L Ranch (www.mt-adams.com) in Glenwood, WA. To request lodging during the surveys, see contact information below.
We hope you can assist us in this multi-year monitoring effort that will help conserve this unique species. Please feel free to share this announcement with others who may be interested.