CBFWCP contract wildlife biologist/NLF Recovery Chair Doug Adama (right) receives a young helping hand in the release of juvenile leopard frogs at Bummers Flats in the East Kootenay (photo by Larry Halverson).
Cranbrook - East Kootenay wetlands in the Bummer's Flat Conservation Area are once again alive with northern leopard frogs after disappearing from the area over 20 years ago.
On Thursday, August 7 an estimated 1,500 juvenile frogs raised from egg masses at a rearing facility in the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) were reintroduced into the East Kootenay.
Historically the northern leopard frog, one of North America's most common species of frog, was found throughout the East and Central Kootenays and in the Southern Okanagan in British Columbia. Today, the species has virtually disappeared in Western North America including Alberta, British Columbia, Montana, Washington and Idaho.
Doug Adama, Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program contract biologist and chair of the NLF Recovery Team, says extensive research throughout their historical range in the 1990's located only one small population in a single wetland of the CVWMA.
The remaining frogs weren't doing all that well either, notes Adama.
"The numbers fluctuated, but we were able to confirm that only six pairs breeded this year, resulting in six egg masses. The small population size, restricted distribution and low reproductive and survival rates leaves the BC population highly susceptible to extirpation," says Adama. "Without assistance, the population was unlikely to recover."
The reason for their decline is complex and includes a number of local and global factors. Local factors include predation by introduced fish and loss of wetland habitat while widespread impacts include disease, ultraviolet radiation and pollutants. This population, designated as the "Southern Mountain Population" by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, was listed as Endangered and protected under the new Species At Risk Act. The northern leopard frog is considered one of the most at risk species in B.C.
"Frogs are an important part of the ecological balance of many habitats," explains Adama. "Frogs are important links in the food chain since they consume insects and become food for larger wildlife. Frogs are also an indicator species, which means that they are good at showing us how our activities affect our shared ecosystems. For example, because frogs are so sensitive to their surroundings, they show us the damage that acid rain and global warming have on our ecosystem. "
In an effort to keep Northern Leopard frogs from completely disappearing from BC, biologists have designed a facility in Creston to rear tadpoles in a safe environment free of disease and predators as part of a multi-agency recovery program. Since 2001, the program has successfully reared and released more than 5,000 juvenile frogs and several thousand tadpoles in the CVWMA.
Northern leopard frogs used to occur in the wetlands of Bummer's Flat. Biologists are hoping this reintroduction will be a major turning point in the recovery of this species in BC.
Adama says the goal of the recovery initiative is to down-list the southern mountain Northern Leopard Frog population from Endangered to Threatened in 10 years. The long-term goal is to list the population as Special Concern.
Downlisting requires re-establishing populations at five locations. It is anticipated releases will occur annually in re-introduced areas for at least five years.
Partners in the Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Project include the Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protection (MWLAP), World Wildlife Fund, Environment Canada and Columbia Basin Trust. The Bummers Flats Conservation Area is managed by Ducks Unlimited Canada and MWLAP for its fish and wildlife values.
