Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 31, Number 5;   May, 2004

Mark Twain's frog not croaked after all!

In October 2003, a rancher's young children discovered a small population of "strange" frogs while playing near a waterhole used by the family's cows. The frogs were different from any the kids had ever seen before; they were coral coloured on their hind legs and belly, and had a prominent "ridge" (i.e. dorsolateral fold) on either side of their back. The family contacted the Jumping Frog Research Institute (JFRI, www.jumpingfrog.org) in Calaveras County and asked for help in identifying their mystery frogs. JFRI is a small research and advocacy group that works to further the conservation of the native amphibian species of California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Dr. Robert Stack, Executive Director of JFRI, went out to the ranch and identified the species as California red-legged frogs - a "threatened" species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Dr. Stack discussed with the family the pros and cons of going "public" with the news, but it didn't take them very long to make a decision. They were proud to have the only known descendants of "Twain's frog" in the county living on their ranch, and they were determined to do everything in their power to help save it. That meant contacting various state and federal agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for additional help.

To keep potential sightseers from trespassing on their property and interfering with their cattle operation, not to mention disturbing the frogs, the family decided not to disclose publicly either the location of the ranch or their last name. They also asked JFRI to help coordinate the efforts of a team of biologists who are now working to combine protection of the frogs with continued operation of the property as a working cattle ranch. The rancher believes his cows are compatible with the frogs: "Cows have grazed this ranch for 150 years," he said. "They must get along with the frogs or the frogs wouldn't still be here."

Many ranchers are reluctant to come forward in cases like this because so much fear of the federal government has been sown by those who are fundamentally opposed to the US ESA. JFRI is working hard to create an innovative program whereby Sierra ranchers that volunteer their stock ponds to help in the recovery of Twain's frog would become eligible to receive certain economic benefits, along with assurances that their property rights would be respected. They call this the "Dan'l Webster Project," honouring the name of the celebrated frog in Twain's tale.

JFRI-coordinated field studies to be initiated this March will attempt to determine how many of the frogs are on this particular ranch. Everyone is hoping that there are enough frogs to maintain their numbers, or maybe even increase. There is also a back-up plan being developed to create an assisted-breeding program in collaboration with the University of Pacific in Stockton, CA.

Ranging from 4 to 13 cm long, R. aurora draytonii is the largest native frog in North America west of the Rocky Mountains. While originally found from just north of San Francisco, CA south into Baja California, and from the Pacific coast to the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada, today the frog is found mostly in isolated watersheds along the Central California coast. Only a few small, isolated populations are hanging on in the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, most of these are not believed to be viable. Habitat loss and conversion, introduction of various non-native predators (especially the American bullfrog, R. catesbeiana) and pesticide drift are the primary factors responsible for the frog's demise. In fact, bullfrogs are now the primary contestants in Calaveras County's annual world frog jumping championship, held every year at the county fairgrounds during the third weekend in May.

For more information contact: Dr. Robert Stack/JFRI, PO Box 1416, Angels Camp, CA 95222, USA. bob@jumpingfrog.org
Donations and/or potential funders are urgently needed to help assist in JFRI's efforts.