Endangered Species Bulletin, Spring 2008, "Year of the Frog"

Home , Amplexus, Atelopus varius, Chytridiomycosis, Crested toad, Golden toad, Herpetarium

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Spring 2008 Volume 33, No. 1 The Year of the Frog

The Association of Zoos & Aquariums in North America, the world’s other professional zoo and aquarium associations, other conservation organizations, and government agencies have joined in a global effort to save imperiled amphibians. To raise global awareness of the plight of frogs, other amphibians, and activities to conserve vulnerable species, these partners have named 2008 as “The Year of the Frog.”

The Year of the Frog

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin IN THIS ISSUE

4 The Global Amphibian Crisis

7 Project Golden Frog

11 Chiricahua Leopard Frog Inches Towards Recovery

Telephone: 703-358-2390 Contributors 15 Giving Leopard Frogs a Head Start Fax: 703-358-1735 Paul Boyle Jeff Ettling E-mail: [email protected] Shelly Grow Jill Utrup Vicky Poole Kim Mitchell Web site: Jim Rorabaugh Chad Mellison 18 Building Conservation Partnerships www.fws.gov/endangered/bulletin.html Melissa Kreutzian Ashley Bradley with Zoos Editor Mike Sredl Kate Symonds Michael Bender Charlie Painter Della K. Snyder-Velto Roberto Aguilar Christina Lydick Art Director Juan Carlos Bravo Joe Milmoe 20 Conserving Missouri’s Hellbenders Jennifer Hennessey Carter Kruse Lianne Ball Tara Sprankle Jim Knox Diane Barber Jeff Servoss The Ozark Hellbender: Out from 22 Under a Rock

25 Conserving Columbian Spotted Frogs in Nevada The Panamanian golden frog (cover) and the Mississippi dusky gopher frog (opposite page), both of which are imperiled with extinction, illustrate the dangers facing many of the world’s amphibian species. 28 A Leap Forward for the Mountain photos © Michael Redmer Yellow-legged Frog

30 Ranchers Restore Amphibian- friendly Ponds

32 Moving Quickly Saves a Breeding Season

34 Evaluating Amphibian Abnormalities on Wildlife Refuges The Endangered Species Bulletin is now an on-line publication. Three electronic editions are posted each year at www.fws.gov/endangered/bulletin.html, and one print edition of highlights is published each year. To be notified when a new on-line edition has been posted, sign up for our list-serv by clicking on “E-Mail List” on the Bulletin Web page. Departments The Bulletin welcomes manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to endangered species. We are particularly interested in news about recovery actions and conservation partner- 36 Partners for Fish and Wildlife ships. 38 USGS Research News The Bulletin is reprinted by the University of Michigan as part of its own publication, the Endangered Species UPDATE. To subscribe, write the Endangered Species UPDATE, School 40 Children in Nature of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1115; or call 734-763-3243. 43 Rulemaking Actions

Please send us your comments and ideas! E-mail them to us at [email protected].

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin The Global by Paul Boyle and Shelly Grow Amphibian Crisis

A crisis of enormous proportions character Kermit the Frog, whose motto faces the world’s amphibian species. At is “It isn’t easy being green,” may have present, we estimate that about one-third had an early premonition of the crisis of the more than 6,000 known amphibian frogs face today. Frogs were traditionally species are at risk of extinction. This used for studying anatomy, physiology, likely underestimates the real number neurobiology, and pharmacology, and since data are lacking on many species were used globally in the 20th century from Africa, Southeast Asia, and other for pregnancy tests. Today, as we see regions. Several causes underlie this amphibian species in serious decline, massive decline, but a crucial element frogs are like the “canary in the coal is the very nature of amphibians; their mine” – a class of animals more sensi- skin must always be moist and it literally tive than most, potentially signaling an breathes, so they are especially vulner- impending environmental calamity. able to environmental contaminants. The severe decline of amphibians Habitat destruction, disease, pollution, occurring today can be compared with climate change, and other expanding the mass extinction of dinosaurs 65 mil- human-related impacts have an entire lion years ago. Yet, while most people class of the animal kingdom in serious know of the sudden disappearance of decline. dinosaurs, few remember that when the Frogs hold great cultural significance. dinosaurs disappeared, almost 70 percent They figured prominently in ancient of the other species on Earth disappeared Egyptian and Greek mythology, as well as with them. There could be truth in the more recent folklore. Today’s well-known notion of amphibians as an early indicator

The Mississippi distinct population segment of the dusky gopher frog (Rana capito sevosa) is listed as endangered. © Michael Redmer

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin of environmental chaos. However, unlike the demise of dinosaurs, many of the impacts that threaten amphibians are of human origin. The most serious threat to amphibians is habitat loss and widespread habitat fragmentation. Loss of rainforest and other crucial habitats to agricultural and other human development is devastating habitats crucial to amphibian survival worldwide. Pollution from mine drain- age, pesticides, fertilizers, and other organic compounds is present in every earthly ecosystem. Amphibians are particularly susceptible to the effects

of organic molecules since their skin is © Michael Redmer The flatwoods salamander(Ambystoma cingulatum) is a threatened amphibian native to parts of the U.S. so much more permeable than that of lower southeastern Coastal Plain. other animals. A disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is spreading undaunted, What is Being Done? with few amphibian species showing The Amphibian Specialist Group of resistance. The chytrid disease typically the World Conservation Union (IUCN), results in mass die-offs where often more the World Association of Zoos and than 50 percent of amphibian species are Aquariums, and IUCN’s Conservation extirpated within six months, while other Breeding Specialist Group have formed species persist with relatively minor a partnership called the Amphibian Ark. reductions. Meanwhile, amphibians are also affected by harvesting for food and the pet trade, predation, and invasive introduced species.

The Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Dana Payne

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin to expand the capacity of its 219 accredited member institutions to respond vigorously to amphibian declines locally, regionally, and around the world. We also seek to support the efforts of government conservation agencies in responding to the global amphibian crisis. All of this work aims to build strong partnerships, increase the professional and structural capacity for saving amphibians, and ensure the success of this crucial worldwide effort.

Dr. Paul Boyle is Senior Vice President for Conservation at the AZA, where he leads its animal conservation © Michael Redmer Peruvian stubfoot harlequin frog (Atelopus peruensis). Described as new to science in 1985, this species and conservation education programs. underwent massive declines in the 1990s, and is now possibly extinct. Shelly Grow ([email protected]; 301-562- 0777) is a conservation biologist with AZA focusing on increasing the capac- The mission of the Amphibian Ark is Zoos and aquariums offer unique ity and the diversity of partnerships ambitious: “working in partnerships to expertise to the Amphibian Ark effort for responding to the amphibian crisis. ensure the global survival of amphib- because of their history of successfully The AZA is headquartered at 8403 ians, focusing on those that cannot be managing captive populations of ani- Colesville Road, Suite 710, Silver Spring, safeguarded in nature.” As explained on mals. They also have broad experience Maryland 20910. its Web site (www.amphibianark.org), it with reintroducing captive-bred animals coordinates ex-situ (off-site or captive- into the wild, translocating animals for breeding) programs by partners around conservation purposes, and developing the world, along with efforts to protect or the infrastructure and facilities required restore species in their natural habitats. to safely quarantine, breed, and maintain The Association of Zoos & Aquariums amphibian populations for the long term. (AZA) in North America and the world’s This special issue of the Endangered other professional zoo and aquarium Species Bulletin shares some examples associations have joined in this massive of what zoos and aquariums, the Fish and effort, working in partnership with other Wildlife Service, and other agencies and conservation organizations to save imper- organizations are doing, and plan to do iled amphibians. over the next several years, to fight the In one of the largest collaborations of loss of amphibians. We seek to engage as its kind, these organizations have called many partners in the effort as possible for a global effort to save amphibians and and to target hotspots where amphibian have named 2008, a leap year, as “The extinction is on the rise. We are also working to increase both the physical infrastructure required to conserve amphibians in captive populations, through which the living genetic stock of imperiled species can be saved while conditions in the wild are improved, and Year of the Frog.” The Year of the Frog is the professional capacity to keep these a global awareness and fundraising cam- precious representatives of the amphib- paign to support long-term amphibian ian world safe for future generations. conservation and to change the human Like its professional counterparts behaviors that threaten amphibians. around the world, the AZA is working

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin Project Golden Frog

by Vicky Poole

The brilliantly colored golden frogs vocalizing, PGFs communicate by “sema- native to the cloud forests of Panama are phoring,” a limb-waving behavior that culturally significant to the people of that may have evolved to allow these frogs to nation, as revered as the bald eagle is in locate others near waterfalls for breed- the United States. They have long been ing, where loud background noise renders considered lucky by Panamanians, who their gentle vocalizations inaudible. commonly use figurines and live frogs to A. zeteki has been listed in Appendix promote hotels and restaurants. I of CITES (Convention on International Panamanian golden frogs (Atelopus Trade in Endangered Species of Wild zeteki), or PGFs, have been recognized as Fauna and Flora) since 1975 and as a distinct species from the similar-looking endangered (as A. varius zeteki) under harlequin frog (Atelopus varius) based the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) on a unique skin toxin, zetekitoxin, and since 1976. Factors affecting golden bioacoustical differences. In addition to frog populations include collecting for John Kast

Two golden frogs in amplexus, a form of sexual reproduction seen in frogs wherein the male grasps the female from behind and externally fetilizes the eggs as they are deposited.

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin periglene). It has since advanced southeastward through the cooler mid- to high-elevation mountain forests of Central America, decimating entire populations of amphibians. As of 2007, the disease in Panama was documented as far eastward as El Valle de Anton, the type locality (the location from where the first described specimen was collected) of A. zeteki, raising the odds that both golden frog species may soon be extinct in the wild. In response to the impending chytrid crisis, a group of concerned biologists convened in 1998 to form Project Golden Frog/Proyecto Rana Dorada (PGF/PRD), a conservation consortium involving numerous Panamanian and U.S. institutions. The primary goals of PGF/PRD are to preserve the golden frog by establishing a captive breeding colony and to use the attractive frog as a flagship species for spotlighting general amphibian decline issues. Specific initiatives of PGF/PRD include field studies, captive management, education, and financial support of other related efforts. PGF/ PRD field studies have led to natural history information, genetics research, and population monitoring, all of which has also benefitted the management of golden frogs in captivity (Lindquist, et al., 2007; Zippel et al., 2007). As the first step, ex situ populations of both golden frog species were established in zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and Canada. To ensure genetic viability, permits were first obtained in 1998 from

Paul Crump/Houston Zoo, Inc. Autoridad National del Ambiente de The “semaphoring” behavior golden frogs use near waterfalls may allow them to locate other individuals for Panamá (ANAM) to collect and export mating. specimens from unprotected remnant populations outside two national parks Panamanian zoos and hotels, as well as where these frogs occur. Since 2001, 20 for the illegal pet trade; deforestation; pairs of adults and more than 70 juvenile and stream sedimentation resulting golden frogs have been collected and from logging and farming. An even imported under two CITES/ESA permits greater threat is the amphibian disease issued to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the (formerly the Baltimore Zoo) and the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. As a result dendrobatidis. This disease was first of breeding at 10 Association of Zoos and observed in the mountains of central Aquariums (AZA) institutions, includ- Costa Rica, where it may have caused ing significant successes at the Detroit the extinction of the golden toad (Bufo Zoological Gardens and the two facilities

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin permitted to collect and import the frogs, there are now more than 2,000 captive- bred golden frogs in breeding groups at almost 50 institutions in the U.S. and Canada. Breeding recommendations and specimen placement for both species are coordinated by the Population Manager at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. A regional studbook is maintained for three distinct populations of golden frogs to track genetic relatedness. (Due to permit restrictions, individuals of A. zeteki are available only to AZA-accredited institutions.) Project Golden Frog uses a variety of strategies to inform the public and educate herpetologists. The bilingual Web site www.projectgoldenfrog.org offers information about the species, the project, and captive husbandry. Through U.S. and local students and zoo/aquarium personnel, PGF/PRD offers opportunities Paul Crump/Hoston Zoo, Inc. A lone Panamanian golden frog in habitat. for training in applied field techniques in Panama. The 2003 national educators’ conference in Panama featured a golden Once captive husbandry techniques frog conservation workshop for school for golden frogs were established by AZA teachers, where classroom curricula institutions in the U.S., PGF/PRD rec- developed by the PGF/PRD education ognized the need to develop a facility in specialist at SeaWorld-Orlando was Panama that could replicate the project’s distributed. Golden frog graphics have efforts for golden frogs and house “insur- been created and installed at two zoos in ance” colonies of 12 other critical endemic Panama, and brochures warning about amphibians impacted by the chytrid chytrid fungus, and explaining techniques fungus. The Houston Zoo committed to for disinfecting field gear and equip- building and staffing this much-needed ment, have been posted in areas where facility, which will serve as a center the fungus was found as a means to help for rescue, quarantine, treatment, and minimize the disease’s spread. public education. Construction of the El Although most PGF/PRD personnel Valle Amphibian Conservation Center costs have been underwritten by many (EVACC), situated on the grounds of the AZA institutions and universities in small, private El Nispero Zoo in the vil- the U.S. and Panama, members have lage of El Valle de Anton, was completed obtained more than 20 grants to fund in 2007. specific field and education program Beginning in the summer of 2006, needs. These included the acquisition of zoo and aquarium personnel and volun- a designated field vehicle, which sports teers from around the world have come the color and pattern of the golden frog together in El Valle to collect amphibians to help foster public awareness. With for EVACC. They tested and treated all the decline of golden frogs in Panama, specimens they collected for chytrid. The PGF/PRD has also become a granting golden frogs at EVACC will be included program, using golden frog fundraising in the studbook along with the U.S. surplus to offer awards to other related specimens so that genetic diversity can be frog initiatives under the umbrella of the maximized throughout the entire ex situ Atelopus Conservation Trust (ACT). population. The long-term goal is to cre-

Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin Paul Crump/Houston Zoo, Inc.

The El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in Panama is a center for rescue, treatment, research, and conservation.

ate a zoo population from which golden the continuing crisis of global amphibian frogs can be returned to the wild if all in declines. situ (wild) populations become extinct and when the chytrid fungus is no longer References a threat to these species. We estimate Lindquist, E.D., S.A. Sapoznick, E.J. this goal to be 5 to10 years away. EVACC Griffith Rodriguez, P.B. Johantgen, J.M. is a potential site for staging reintroduc- Criswell. 2007. Nocturnal position in the tions prior to release and/or establishing Panamanian Golden Frog, Atelopus zeteki in-country breeding pairs from which (Anura, Bufonidae), with notes on fluo- offspring can be used. Current research rescent pigment tracking. Phyllomedusa by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and 6(1):37-44. Mount Union College in Ohio on the Zippel, K.C., R. Ibáñez D., E.D. development of chytrid-resistant blood- Lindquist, C.L. Richards, C.A. Jaramillo lines of golden frogs, which would be A., E.J. Griffith. 2006. Implicaciones en based on antimicrobial skin peptides, may la conservación de las ranas doradas also prove valuable to any repatriation de Panamá, asociadas con su revisión efforts. taxonómica. Herpetotropicos 3(1):29-39. Although many organizations and individuals have contributed to the golden frog program achievements listed Vicky Poole (410-576-1193) is the above, the cooperation between U.S. exhibit manager for “Frogs! A Chorus and Panamanian government agencies of Colors” at the National Aquarium in and personnel has been vital to success. Baltimore, Maryland. We hope that the communication and cooperation among program coordina- tors and government agencies can serve as a model for developing responses to

10 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 11 Chiricahua Leopard

by Jim Rorabaugh, Melissa Kreutzian, Frog Inches Towards Mike Sredl, Charlie Painter, Roberto Aguilar, Juan Carlos Bravo, and Recovery Carter Kruse

Recovery – it is the most impor- ties in New Mexico. Its status in Mexico tant part of endangered species conser- is poorly known, but Chiricahua leopard vation. For most species, considerable frogs have declined to some extent there funding and staff resources are needed as well. The Mexican government lists it to overcome years of population declines as amenazada (threatened). and habitat degradation. Despite the The causes of the decline are not limited resources available, and with a always clear, and several interacting lot of help from our friends and partners, factors are often at play, but experts on such as state wildlife agencies, federal the Chiricahua leopard frog generally land managers, ranchers and other agree that predation by introduced spe- private landowners, Turner Enterprises, cies (especially American bullfrogs, sport Phelps Dodge Corporation, the Phoenix fishes, and crayfish) and an apparently Zoo, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the introduced fungal skin disease (chytrid- Fort Worth Zoo, Nature Conservancy, iomycosis) that is killing frogs and toads Sky Island Alliance, and universities, we around the globe are the leading causes. have put together a recovery program for the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog A Chiricahua leopard frog from the Pajarito Mountains in Arizona near the Mexican border. (Lithobates chiricahuensis). To augment the scarce funds available for recovery activities, we have engaged the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program (see the story on page 36) and applied for grants from founda- tions. We and our very dedicated host of partners are slowly making progress towards the recovery of this species. The Chiricahua leopard frog is a large, often green, spotted frog that histori- cally was common in the mountains and high valleys of central and southeastern Arizona, west-central and southwestern New Mexico, and southward in the Sierra Madre Occidental and associated sky islands of northeastern Sonora and western Chihuahua, Mexico. We know of 469 historical localities. Declines were first noted in the early to mid-1970s, and today the species is only known to exist at about

41 localities in Arizona and 30 to 35 locali- Jim Rorabaugh

10 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 11 Other problems, such as loss and degra- The primary threats – introduced dation of wetlands, recent catastrophic predators and chytridiomycosis – are wildfires, drought, and contaminants, not easily addressed. We can control have contributed to the decline. predators at small sites, but eliminating The Chiricahua Leopard Frog them from large, complex systems is Recovery Plan was completed in early often impossible with current technol- 2007. It was developed in an open ogy. Except for taking precautions not process with a technical team that to spread the disease ourselves, we are provided top-notch scientific expertise, only beginning to understand how we while three stakeholder groups kept the might deal with chytridiomycosis. Some process grounded in the social, economic, frog populations are persisting with the and nuts-and-bolts realities of achiev- disease, especially at warmer and lower ing recovery on the ground. Key ele- sites, and they could provide key insights ments include protecting the remaining into how to manage the disease. We populations and habitats, establishing are looking into several questions: are new populations, monitoring progress, the frogs developing resistance to the research, public outreach, and adaptive disease, are there environmental factors management. allowing their persistence, or both? We

Duke Klein (Forest Service biologist), at left, and Mike Sredl (Arizona Game and Fish Department) build pond habitat for Chiricahua leopard frogs in the Tonto National Forest, Arizona. Jim Rorabaugh

12 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 13 have experimented with eliminating the National Forest, and Phoenix Zoo, disease from habitats but are a long way aggressive efforts to restore habitats and from solving that problem. Our strat- reestablish populations are rebuilding egy for now has been to try to maintain a metapopulation (a group of spatially the remaining populations and begin separated populations that exchange reestablishing populations and improv- individuals through immigration and ing habitats in places where introduced emigration) of Chiricahua leopard frogs predators and disease are absent or near Young, Arizona. Meanwhile, the manageable. These reintroductions typi- Phoenix Zoo and the Arizona-Sonora cally involve collecting egg masses from the wild, hatching the eggs and head- starting tadpoles at the Phoenix Zoo or Combining outreach and recovery, students and their parents from Sierra Vista, Arizona, assist in a release of other facilities, and releasing late-stage frogs that were head started at the Phoenix Zoo. tadpoles or metamorph frogs. Limited wild-to-wild movements of egg masses and frogs, as well as captive propagation, have also been employed. We have honed our techniques and protocols over the past 12 years (see Tara Sprankle’s following article), and most reestablish- ments now successfully result in breeding populations. These recovery actions have been facilitated by 1) a special rule under section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act that allows incidental take of frogs resulting from operation and mainte- nance of livestock waters on non-federal lands, 2) Safe Harbor Agreements with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the Malpai Borderlands Group (a progressive group of conservation ranchers), and 3) programmatic grazing consultations with involved federal agencies on public lands. The 4(d) rule and Safe Harbor Agreements help us build trust with ranchers and private landowners, while the programmatic consultations provide a framework within which we can move forward on recovery with the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and livestock grazing per- mittees. Artificial water sources developed for cattle have become important habitats for Chiricahua leopard frogs, so tools that help us work in partnership with ranchers are critical to recovery. On Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch in New Mexico and at a high school in Douglas, Arizona, captive propagation and head-starting facilities are under construction. Thanks to the Arizona

Game and Fish Department, Tonto Jim Rorabaugh

12 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 13 Elizabeth Slown Anna Slown (left) and Hannah Jacobsen (right) model the Chiricahua leopard frog tattoo that was produced for outreach about this threatened amphibian.

Desert Museum near Tucson are cau- tiously breeding the last remaining frogs Jim Rorabaugh (Jim_Rorabaugh@ from the Coconino National Forest and fws.gov), the Service’s recovery leader the Santa Rita Mountains in Arizona for for the Chiricahua leopard frog, is reestablishment at multiple sites. Major located in the Tucson, Arizona, Field habitat restoration programs underway Office. Melissa Kreutzian (Melissa_ at two sites in southeastern Arizona and [email protected]), the Service’s lead one in the bootheel of New Mexico will for Chiricahua leopard frog recovery in benefit Chiricahua leopard frogs and New Mexico, is located in Albuquerque. other imperiled wetland species. We are Mike Sredl ([email protected]) is the also working with Mexican partners to Ranid Frog Programs Manager for the build capacity for amphibian conserva- Arizona Game and Fish Department in tion in northwestern Mexico. In August Phoenix. Charlie Painter (CPainter@ 2008, we will hold a workshop at a private state.nm.us) is the herpetologist for the reserve in northern Sonora owned by New Mexico Department of Game and Naturalia (a Mexican conservation group) Fish in Albuquerque. Roberto Aguilar to instruct Mexican biologists on survey DVM ([email protected]) is the protocols and techniques for captive Director of Conservation and Science at husbandry, propagation, and headstarting the Phoenix Zoo. Juan Carlos Bravo of amphibians. ([email protected]. Restoring an imperiled species is not mx), Naturalia’s Northwestern Mexico an easy process, but with hard work from representative, is located in Hermosillo, many partners, we are beginning to see Sonora. Carter Kruse (carter.kruse@ how the Chiricahua leopard frog might retranches.com) is a senior aquatic biolo- one day be secure again. Recovery is still gist with the Turner Endangered Species a distant destination, but the journey has Fund in Bozeman, Montana. begun.

14 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 15 Giving Leopard Frogs a Head Start by Tara Sprankle

Despite being one of the most arid and one, the Chiricahua leopard frog states, Arizona is home to a wide variety (Lithobates chiricahuensis), is also listed of amphibians. There are 25 native spe- at the federal level as threatened. cies as well as a few introduced species. The Phoenix Zoo has been working Unfortunately, populations of many of our with state and federal agencies and native amphibians have declined dra- private groups for over 10 years to matically. The primary threats include recover several species of native leopard disease (chytridiomycosis, a fungal frogs. These partnerships began in the infection attacking amphibians around late 1990s when native leopard frogs were the world), habitat loss and fragmenta- experiencing dramatic declines. Some tion, and introduced predators such as populations had dwindled to fewer than bullfrogs, several crayfish species, and 100 animals. non-native sport fish. Because of these Because of high mortality rates in threats, all six species of Arizona’s native the wild for eggs and small tadpoles, we leopard frogs are protected by the state decided to collect egg masses from the

Chiricahua leopard frog Tara SprankleTara

14 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 15 wild and rear them to large tadpoles or To that end, the zoo constructed the that time, the recovery teams identify small frogs, life stages that provide a Montane Anuran Conservation Center donor and recipient sites for release greater chance of survival when rein- as a temporary rearing facility for native of head-started individuals. Once the troduced. In the wild, only about five amphibians. It was built from two insu- breeding season begins, volunteers and percent or fewer of the eggs in a mass lated cargo carriers that were outfitted state and federal biologists monitor donor survive to metamorphosis. In captiv- with air conditioning units, full spectrum sites for breeding and spawning activity. ity, we have gone well beyond that and lighting, and aquaculture tubs for rearing Once they find an egg mass, they notify have had over 90 percent of an egg mass large numbers of tadpoles. The facility the zoo. Whole or partial egg masses survive to be released as froglets or late- worked well for many years despite its are transported to the zoo and set up in stage tadpoles. Releasing a large number limited amount of space. Recently, we a tank to hatch. Zoo staff then raise the of animals back into a site greatly have begun using a new system that uses tadpoles until they become large tadpoles increases the chance that more will smaller polycarbonate boxes stacked on or small metamorphs, at which time they survive to adulthood and reproduce. In shelves. These lower density contain- are released back into the wild. Between the small, isolated populations in Arizona, ers allow us to more closely monitor the 1995 and 2007, the zoo head-started over releasing a large number of individuals health of individual animals and make 7,000 tadpoles and frogs! This year, we at one time also helps ensure that the minor adjustments to captive conditions. will move into a new facility built on the “founding population” contains as much Our head-start planning cycle begins zoo grounds called the Native Species genetic diversity as possible. prior to the start of the field season. At Conservation Center (NSCC). The pur-

Staff from the Phoenix Zoo and the Forest Service release captive-produced frogs into the wild. Tara SprankleTara

16 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 17 pose of the NSCC is to head-start native have become or are becoming established it gave interested people a way to become Arizona species for release as well as to has increased four-fold. This project is directly involved with conservation. We provide short-term housing for popula- a great example of how various govern- hope that the zoo’s continued efforts tions or individuals in jeopardy. The ment agencies and private groups can will make a difference in the survival of facility will also educate the public about work together to help stabilize a declining the Chiricahua leopard frog as well as local and global conservation issues. population. Arizona’s other native amphibians. Moving into the NSCC will give us more Although the Phoenix Zoo’s primary space and flexibility as well as allow us to contributions to southwestern frog work with multiple populations of frogs at conservation have been head-starting Tara Sprankle (tsprankle@thephxzoo. the same time. of egg masses, developing and improv- com) is the senior keeper for reptiles at Since 2001, some populations of the ing captive husbandry techniques, and the Phoenix Zoo. Chiricahua leopard frog have recovered captively rearing frogs, members of the enough that hundreds of egg masses have zoo staff have also participated in popula- been laid in the wild. This increase allows tion surveys, habitat restoration, and us to shift towards the more natural presentations to educate the public about approach of supplementing current popu- the plight of amphibians. In 2008, we lations by translocating wild egg masses plan to bring back the Tadpole Taskforce, or tadpoles rather than only releasing a group of volunteers used in the early head-started captive stock. The number 1990s to help with the daily care of the of ponds where Chiricahua leopard frogs tadpoles. Their help was invaluable, and

Chiricahua leopard frogs hatching at the Phoenix Zoo Tara SprankleTara

16 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 17 Building Conservation by Diane Barber Partnerships with Zoos

More than 143 million people around the globe. The recovery pro- visit Association of Zoos and Aquariums gram for the Puerto Rican crested toad (AZA) accredited facilities every year, a (Peltophryne lemur) is an example of number greater than the combined atten- one such program, and it exemplifies dance at all professional sports events how zoos and aquariums can directly in this country. Recent studies show contribute to amphibian conservation and that after a visit to a zoo or aquarium, become effective partners with local and people often think about their role in regional agencies. environmental problems and begin to see The Puerto Rican crested toad, which themselves as part of the solution. These is easily distinguished by its unique head facts make zoos and aquariums capable crest, is the only toad native to Puerto of reaching millions of people who desire Rico. Individuals spend most of their to connect with animals in a positive lives underground in moist caverns of manner. karst limestone and are rarely seen AZA institutions have been directly throughout the hot, dry months of the involved in developing and implement- year. Habitat loss and competition from ing hundreds of recovery programs for introduced species, including the marine threatened and endangered species toad (Bufo marinus), are the major causes for the toad’s decline and led to its listing as a threatened species in 1987 Puerto Rican crested toad by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2004, the Puerto Rican crested toad was also listed by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) as a critically endangered species. Although distinct northern and southern populations of crested toads existed as recently as 1992, the last remaining wild population is located in an ephemeral pool precariously close to the ocean. The site, located in the Guanica Commonweath Forest, doubles as a parking lot during the busy summer season. The Puerto Rican Crested Toad Species Survival Plan (SSP), the first amphibian SSP created by the AZA, has been active for more than 25 years. Strong partnerships for the recovery of this species have been formed among 21

John Kast zoos and aquariums in the United States,

18 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 19 Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Canada were released in Puerto Rico. and will outlive the individuals currently Rico; the Fish and Wildlife Service; the Although captive breeding and reintro- involved in the Puerto Rican crested toad Puerto Rico Department of Natural duction efforts by zoos and aquariums recovery effort. and Ecological Resources (DNER); the have been identified as major components When developing new amphibian University of Puerto Rico; the Puerto of recovery efforts, the SSP has contrib- conservation programs, consider reach- Rican National Park Company at Juan uted to the program in many other ways ing out to local AZA facilities to see what Rivero Zoo; Iniciativa Herpetológica, throughout the years. Partner zoos and types of resources they have to offer. For Inc.; and Citizens of the Karst. aquariums continue to offer the ser- more information regarding amphib- Recovery efforts are directed through a vices and expertise of their geneticists, ian conservation programs, we invite Memorandum of Understanding among reproductive physiologists, veterinarians, you to visit www.aza.org/ConScience/ the Service, the DNER and the AZA, pathologists, endocrinologists, nutrition- Amphibians_Intro/. To learn more about and are coordinated through the Puerto ists, statisticians, education specialists, the Puerto Rican crested toad program, Rican Crested Toad Recovery Plan and and biologists to conduct research, raise go to www.crestedtoadssp.org. the Population and Habitat Viability funds, and garner community support for Analysis Working Group. Recovery the recovery of the crested toad and its References group members and other biologists meet karst habitat. annually in Puerto Rico to share new Zoos and aquariums represent a tre- CBSG. 2005. Population and Habitat information. Creation of new ponds to mendous untapped potential in long-term Viability Analysis for the Puerto Rican support six self-sustaining metapopula- recovery programs for amphibian spe- Crested Toad. Final Report. IUCN/SSC tions of reintroduced animals (three cies. This is not meant to downplay the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group: in the north and three in the south), critically important roles of the Service Apple Valley, MN. 93pp. expansion of ecological research, protec- and other agencies in recovery efforts. tion and restoration of existing habitat, Involvement and commitment from local Falk, J.H.; Reinhard, E.M.; Vernon, and island-wide educational outreach are universities, zoos, private individuals C.L.; Bronnenkant, K.; Deans, N.L.; primary conservation goals. and government agencies are vital to the Heimlich, J.E., (2007). Why Zoos and A reintroduction program is a large recovery of the Puerto Rican crested toad Aquariums Matter: Assessing the part of the recovery plan. Between 1987 and other threatened and endangered Impact of a Visit. Association of Zoos & and 2007, more than 100,000 tadpoles amphibians. These partnerships are the Aquariums. Silver Springs, MD. from zoos and aquariums in the U.S. and reason for the success of the program U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1992. Recovery Plan for the Puerto Rican Crested Toad (Peltophryne lemur). Puerto Rican Crested Toad Recovery Group partners releasing tadpoles in Guanica Commonwealth Forest. Atlanta, Georgia. 19 pp.

Diane Barber, the Puerto Rican Crested Toad SSP Coordinator, AZA Amphibian Taxon Advisory Group Chair, at the Fort Worth Zoo, can be contacted at [email protected]. Eduardo Valdes

18 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 19 Conserving Missouri’s by Jeff Ettling Hellbenders

The hellbender (Cryptobranchus In 2006, at the request of the Saint alleganiensis) is the largest species of Louis Zoo, the Conservation Breeding salamander native to North America. It Specialist Group (part of the Species is represented by two subspecies, the Survival Commission of the World eastern hellbender (C. a. alleganiensis), Conservation Union (IUCN), facilitated a which ranges from southern New York workshop that produced a population and state south to northern Georgia and west habitat viability assessment for the Ozark to Missouri, and the Ozark hellbender (C. and eastern hellbenders. The workshop a. bishopi), which occurs only in south- was hosted by the Saint Louis Zoo and central Missouri and adjacent north-cen- attended by 30 invited individuals. The tral Arkansas. (For more on the Ozark participants worked to explore threats subspecies, see the following article.) to hellbender populations and develop Missouri is the only state where both management actions to halt the hell- subspecies occur. These salamanders are bender’s precipitous decline. Workshop perfectly adapted for spring-fed stream participants developed recommendations

Ron Goellner and river habitats with their flattened addressing biological and human-induced head and body, short stout legs, long rud- threats, land use issues, and captive der-like tail, and tiny eyes. reproduction. Their final report was Over the last 30 years, biologists have published in early 2007. collected extensive data on the Missouri The aging population of hellbenders populations of both the eastern and Ozark in Missouri and the strong shift in age hellbenders. These studies indicate that structure over the years highlight the there has been an approximately 80 per- need for more information on the general cent decline in the hellbender population, health of adult hellbenders and the lack with a major shift in the age structure to of young age classes. With funding from one composed of larger, older animals. the Saint Louis Zoo’s Field Research for The lack of young in these populations Conservation program, Dr. Yue-Wern indicates either reproductive failure or Huang and colleagues at the University high mortality of juvenile hellbenders. In of Missouri – Rolla have provided pre- addition, researchers have been finding liminary information on hematology and increasing numbers of adult hellbend- serum chemistry, reproductive hormones, ers with missing toes, limbs, and eyes and chemical and nutrient assessments. as well as open lesions and tumors. At Their research produced insight as to present, we know of no single cause for the next steps needed to help recover the observed decline, although habitat hellbenders in Missouri. Investigating alteration resulting from dams, gravel and understanding health conditions,

Mark Wanner mining, and increased recreational use reproductive hormones, and heavy metals Upper photo: Ozark hellbender appears to play a significant role. In in hellbenders is important in assessing Lower photo: A simulated stream used in addition, chemical contamination, other if this aging population can successfully hellbender breeding efforts types of water quality problems, disease, reproduce in the wild, and in determining and illegal collection have contributed to the feasibility of capturing wild speci- the decline. mens for long-term propagation efforts.

20 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 21 Representatives from the Saint Louis Zoo’s Ron Goellner Center for Hellbender Conservation, Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wonders of Wildlife, and several universities have joined forces to form the Ozark Hellbender Working Group (OHWG), which is focused on learning more about the causes of the hellbender’s decline and finding a way to conserve the species. The OHWG has launched a number of research projects that range from evalu-

ating the health of free-ranging hellbend- Karen Goellner ers to measuring the effects of native and Saint Louis Zoo and Missouri Department of Conservation staff collecting non-native fish on larval hellbenders. In data on wild hellbenders. 2008, in collaboration with the University of Missouri – Columbia and the Missouri Department of Conservation, 40 juvenile represents the first time eggs have been it may also help chart a more conscien- Ozark hellbenders being head-started laid in captivity using only environmental tious course for the management of at the Saint Louis Zoo will be outfitted cycling (seasonal fluctuations in photope- Missouri’s other natural resources. with radio-transmitters and released at riod, water temperature, etc.). Although the site where the eggs were collected in the males did not fertilize the eggs, Jeff Ettling (314-646-4827) is the south-central Missouri. This project will this is a major milestone in the Saint Curator of Herpetology at the Saint help to assess the feasibility of augment- Louis Zoo’s efforts to captive reproduce Louis Zoo. ing wild populations with the release of hellbenders. captive-raised specimens. The hellbender’s decline may provide In addition to intensive in situ (on site, a key indication of the region’s ecological or in the wild) research, the OHWG is health, which supports not only wildlife developing a captive breeding program. but all Missourians. Our collective effort Hellbenders raised at zoos and/or fish to address this problem is designed to hatcheries could be used for research or ensure the future of a native species, but to replenish wild stocks. We believe it is possible that without artificial propagation, the hellbender may not survive in An aquarium rack system used for rearing juvenile hellbenders. Missouri. The Saint Louis Zoo has constructed a facility in the basement of the Charles H. Hoessle Herpetarium to work towards propagating hellbenders in captivity (a feat that has not yet been achieved in any zoological institution) and to serve as a holding area for rearing juvenile hellbenders. The room features a 32-foot (9.7-meter) long simulated stream that houses eight adult Ozark hellbenders, the nucleus of our potential breeding group. Three large aquarium rack systems with separate life support systems are used for rearing young hellbenders. On October 13, 2007, a female laid a clutch of 150 to 200 Ozark hellbender eggs in our

simulated stream. We believe that this Mark Wanner

20 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 21 The Ozark Hellbender: by Jill Utrup and Kim Mitchell Out from Under a Rock

What lurks below the clear flowing streams. They come out from waters of Ozark streams? Well, it’s not under their rocks at night to eat crayfish pretty, but it is pretty cool. The Ozark and in the fall to mate. It takes them 5 to hellbender (Cryptobranchus allegani- 8 years to reach sexual maturity, and they ensis bishopi), which can reach a length live 25 to 30 years in the wild (55 years in of about 2 feet (0.6 meters), is one of the captivity). Males and females may prey largest salamanders in the world. upon their own and others’ eggs. These strictly aquatic salamanders are With numerous threats to these found only in Ozark streams of southern amphibians and their habitat, Ozark Missouri and northern Arkansas. Most hellbenders are declining in numbers of their life is spent beneath rocks in fast- throughout their range. Because of the

The Ozark hellbender is one of the largest salamanders in the world. Jill Utrup/USFWS

22 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 23 Jill Utrup/USFWS

hellbender’s long lifespan, it took some The results showed that the chytrid There is hope for the Ozark hell- time before researchers recognized the fungus was present in all remaining bender, however, because conservation rapidity of the decline. Even in areas populations of the Ozark hellbender in efforts have already begun. A group of that until recently were thought to have Missouri. Testing continued in Missouri dedicated professionals formed the Ozark healthy, stable populations, numbers have during the 2007 field season and began in Hellbender Working Group shortly after plummeted. Particularly disconcerting is Arkansas. Researchers view chytrid as the species became a listing candidate. the fact that most populations have only one of the most, if not the most, challeng- Original members were researchers and older individuals. The lack of juveniles ing threat to the survival of this subspe- agency personnel with common interests indicates that there has been little to no cies, whose population size is estimated at in hellbender conservation. Staff from reproduction for several years. no more than 590 individuals. hatcheries, zoos, and other interested What happened? The Ozark area Additionally, abnormalities in Ozark parties later joined. The group has is famous for its beauty and fast, clear hellbenders are becoming increasingly collaborated on field work and initiated rivers, which are fun to canoe, kayak, more severe. Although these abnormali- research projects, including studies to and fish. But that clear water and pretty ties have not been linked conclusively determine the primary threats. It is also scenery can be deceiving. The story of with the presence of chytrid, considering developing a comprehensive conservation the Ozark hellbender’s decline is an all that the types of abnormalities docu- strategy that will include a captive propa- too familiar one – increased siltation, mented (e.g., lesions, digit and appendage gation protocol, an outreach strategy, and water quality degradation, and increased loss, epidermal sloughing) are similar to a watershed protection plan. impoundments. the symptoms of the chytrid fungus, it is Growing interest in the species’ To add insult to injury, the highly possible that there is a connection. status has spurred the establishment infectious chytrid fungus is proving In 2001, the Ozark hellbender was of biennial Hellbender Conservation fatal to an ever-increasing number of designated a candidate for Endangered Symposiums. Three have been held so amphibians throughout the world. Over Species Act protection. Even though this far, with the first in 2003 and the latest 75 percent of hellbender deaths that subspecies is on a path to extinction, with in 2007. They provide opportunities for occurred in the St. Louis Zoo’s captive the current budget situation and listing conservationists to share information population from March 2006 through backlog, it is not likely to be considered and discuss topics such as status and April 2007 were due to this disease. This for listing under the Act within the next distribution reports, current research, prompted the testing of Missouri’s wild few years. captive breeding programs, survey and Ozark hellbenders. monitoring protocols and techniques,

22 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 23 Jeff Brigler/Missouri Department of Conservation

and other efforts. Focused research and and the St. Louis Zoo have been col- challenges by looking beyond agency and collaboration between researchers and laborating in developing a propagation geographical boundaries to collaborate natural resource managers are necessary protocol for the Ozark subspecies (see the and share resources, make the most of to reverse the decline of hellbender popu- preceding article). limited dollars, and persevere. lations, and the symposiums are a perfect Missouri protects hellbenders by venue for kick-starting that collaboration. requiring a permit for their collection, Several ongoing research projects are and in 2003 the state listed the hellbender Jill Utrup ([email protected], 573- directed at learning how best to decrease as endangered. As part of the public 234-2132) is a fish and wildlife biologist threats and increase hellbender survival outreach program, there are now signs at the Service’s Columbia, Missouri, in the wild and in captivity. Researchers throughout the range of the hellbender Ecological Services Field Office. Kim at the University of Missouri-Rolla are alerting recreationists that hellbenders Mitchell ([email protected], evaluating overall health conditions, are harmless and should be left alone or 612/713-5337) is an Ecological Services reproductive hormones, and contami- released unharmed if caught by anglers. outreach coordinator in the Service’s nants present in adult and juvenile hell- The recovery of aquatic species is Midwest Regional Office in Fort Snelling benders through hematology and serum particularly challenging because the Minnesota. chemistry work. Survival and move- threats are usually difficult to identify ments of resident adult and released cap- and address. The Ozark hellbender’s tive-reared hellbenders are being studied situation is also a sign of the times in by researchers from the University endangered species conservation, as of Missouri (Columbia) and Missouri global threats such as climate change Department of Conservation. The add to local environmental problems. Missouri Department of Conservation Conservationists are rising to these

24 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 25 Conserving Columbia Spotted Frogs in by Chad Mellison Nevada

Columbia spotted frogs (Rana conservation agreement and strategy in luteiventris) in the Great Basin of order to make listing unnecessary. Nevada have been a candidate for Columbia spotted frogs are found at Endangered Species Act protection since scattered locations from southeast Alaska 1993. Most populations in this region down through British Columbia, eastern are small and highly fragmented, and Washington and Oregon, as well as in are highly vulnerable to changes in their northern Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, environment. Development of water Utah, and Nevada. In Nevada, popula- sources, poor grazing practices, certain tions occur in three distinct areas: the mining activities, and the introduction Toiyabe Mountain Range in Nye County of non-native species have contributed (Toiyabe subpopulation), the Ruby to habitat degradation and fragmenta- Mountain and Jarbidge-Independence tion. Emerging fungal diseases such Ranges in Elko County (Northeast sub- as chytridiomycosis and the spread of population), and the Deep Creek drain- parasites also threaten some popula- age in White Pine County, Nevada, and tions, as do the effects of climate change Toole County, Utah (West Desert popula- (such as drought) and random events like tion). The West Desert population is wildfires. The potential for listing the managed by the Utah Division of Wildlife Columbia spotted frog as a threatened or Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species prompted an array Service’s Utah Fish and Wildlife Office. of interests to develop a multi-party Columbia spotted frogs are closely associated with clear, slow-moving or ponded surface waters with little shade A Columbian spotted frog using its newly created habitat. and relatively constant water temperatures. Reproducing populations occur in habitats characterized by springs, floating vegetation, and larger bodies of pooled water (e.g., oxbows, lakes, stock ponds, beaver-created ponds, seeps in wet meadows, backwaters). In colder portions of their range, Columbia spotted frogs will use areas where water does not freeze, such as spring heads and undercut streambanks with overhanging vegetation. Females usually lay egg masses in the warmest areas of a pond, typically in shallow water, and clutch sizes vary in size from 150 to 2,400 eggs. Successful egg production and metamorphosis into adult frogs are susceptible to habitat

Jim Harvey/Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest variables such as temperature, depth and

24 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 25 pH of water, the amount of cover, and the may have very pale, almost white ventral presence of predators. surfaces. The head may have a dark Adult Columbia spotted frogs measure mask with a light stripe on the upper jaw, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) from and the eyes are turned slightly upward. snout to vent, with females being larger Male frogs have swollen thumbs with than males. They are light brown, dark darkened bases. brown, or gray dorsally, with small spots. Conservation Agreement and Strategy Ventral coloration can differ among popu- A 10-year Conservation Agreement lations and may range from yellow to and Strategy (CAS) was signed in salmon; however, very young individuals September 2003 for both the Northeast and the Toiyabe subpopulations of the Columbia spotted frog in Nevada. Upper photo: Construction of Horseshoe Pond begins. Signatories included the Bureau of Land Lower photo: Horseshoe Pond after completion. Management, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Nevada Natural Heritage Program, Nye County, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the University of Nevada - Cooperative Extension. The partners agreed to conduct inventories to establish distribution and abundance, assess threats, maintain legal protection for the frog, implement conservation actions identified in the agreement, conduct research to support conservation of the species, and increase public awareness of, and appreciation for, the Columbia spotted frog. The conservation agreements and strategies identify actions that federal, state, and local agencies will take to reduce threats, improve degraded habitat, and restore natural functions associated with riparian systems. While

Chad Mellison/USFWS directly improving frog habitat, these actions will also benefit other aquatic species and improve natural hydrological functions. By the end of 2007, 8 percent of the tasks listed in the Northeast CAS were completed and an additional 74 percent of the tasks had been initiated at some level. Additionally, 22 percent of the identified tasks listed in the Toiyabe Mountains CAS were completed and an additional 68 percent of the tasks had been initiated at some level. For example, the availability of adequate habitat was identified as a limiting factor for the Toiyabe Mountains subpopulation. In response, a habitat enhancement project completed in the fall of 2004 included the construction or improvement of 22 ponds in Indian Valley

Chad Mellison/USFWS Creek. A variety of designs were used to

26 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 27 Chad Mellison/USFWS

Upper Photo: Newly created pond habitats can be seen in this valley on Warners Ranch. Lower photo: Columbian spotted frogs are already benefitting from the new ponds. Chad Mellison/USFWS

create breeding, rearing, and over-win- information on survival, growth, and tering habitat. Biologists are monitoring movement of Columbia spotted frogs the effectiveness of this habitat enhance- in the Great Basin. If the agreements ment project. are successful, it may become unneces- Since the CASs were signed, annual sary to list these frogs as threatened or egg mass surveys have been conducted endangered. and mark-recapture surveys have been performed during the summer. These surveys are a collaborative effort of all Chad Mellison(chad_mellison@fws. signatories to the agreements. Data gov; 775-861-6300) is a fish and wildlife gathered during the annual surveys will biologist in the Service’s Nevada Fish be used to track population trends, assess and Wildlife Office in Reno. threats, determine the effectiveness of habitat restoration projects, and provide

26 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 27 A Leap Forward for by Ashley Bradley the Mountain Yellow- Legged Frog

Fifty years ago, mountain yellow- It appears that a “perfect storm” legged frogs (Rana muscosa) basked of factors – including chytrid fungus along the rocky banks of creeks and outbreaks, habitat destruction, water lakes in the mountains of California and pollution, and global climate change Nevada. But scientists around the world – is hastening the range-wide decline of have noticed sharp declines in amphib- the mountain yellow-legged frog. On ians, and the mountain yellow-legged frog top of that, the frog must contend with is no exception. Fewer than 200 adults predation by non-native trout that were of this critically imperiled species remain introduced into mountain waters for in three southern California mountain recreational fishing. ranges. In 2002, the Fish and Wildlife A multi-disciplinary team involving the Service listed the southern California U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California “distinct population segment” (DPS) as Department of Fish and Game, U.S. endangered. The Service considers the Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey only other DPS, which inhabits the Sierra (USGS), and San Diego Zoo is working Nevada of California and Nevada, a to restore the mountain yellow-legged candidate for listing. frog. Research biologist Robert Fisher of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center and his team first stepped in to take population surveys around southern Mountain yellow-legged frog California, including San Diego County, and they became concerned about continued declines of mountain yellow-legged frogs. The southern California fires in late 2003 raised a final red flag; Fisher knew that flows of fire-related debris would degrade mountain waterways. He and representatives of other agencies charged with protecting the frogs thought it was important to establish a captive breeding population. The team collected 11 tadpoles from the wild, and 7 later morphed into frogs. In February 2006, the San Diego Zoo received the frogs, which Research Coordinator Jeff Lemm and his team hoped to breed and then release into the wild. But when the frogs arrived, they were affected by chytrid fungus, bacteria, and calcium absorption issues. The stress ©Jeff M. Lemm

28 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 29 of the move and the disease were too “However, they still have a lot of growing In our own backyards, or rather our much, and the frogs died. to do before they reach their full adult local mountain ranges, the mountain-yel- In mid-August 2006, Fisher’s survey size,” says Santana. “We are hopeful that low legged frog team is bringing a species team rescued tadpoles from a streambed we will have some fertilized eggs by this back from the brink of extinction. in the San Jacinto Mountains that was summer.” certain to become dry. Sixty-two are now From the initial rescue efforts, the metamorphosed frogs. Lemm had a sec- team hoped that at least 16 frogs would Ashley Bradley was a science writer ond chance to raise, breed, and hopefully survive to adulthood. They’ve exceeded at the San Diego Zoo until leaving for a reintroduce the mountain yellow-legged that with a survival rate of about 90 new position. frog. percent, an overwhelming success. Now The San Diego Zoo has 10 tanks for that the program is raising a larger Research Coordinator Jeff Lemm tests the water frogs at various stages in their life cycle. colony than anticipated, the San Diego quality in a breeding tank. The successful breeding In addition to ultraviolet (UV) lights Zoo is looking for help from other breed- of mountain yellow-legged frogs requires close to simulate night and day, it regulates ing programs with appropriate facilities. monitoring to replicate and maintain conditions water and air temperatures in each tank Despite things going right the second similar to those in the wild. through chillers, filters, and a UV steril- time around, Lemm is constantly con- izer. The tadpole tanks hold 50 gallons cerned that something could go wrong, (189 liters) and the sub-adult tanks hold from over-chilling the tank to a change in 100 gallons (378 l). Lemm and research the water source to a chemical that wasn’t assistant Frank Santana monitor water quite right. “It wouldn’t be so stressful if quality daily, checking for ammonia, these weren’t the last of the last.” nitrates, nitrites, pH, and water hard- This program is aligned with the ness. The USGS provides habitat infor- conservation mission of the San Diego mation so the system can be set to what’s Zoo by “working to save a species in most natural, including water quality, pH, the wild, through the synergy of field and temperature. biologists and our researchers here,” In the tanks holding the froglets, says Dr. Ron Swaisgood of the Zoo’s lights are set to the winter cycle, and the Applied Conservation Division. “This water level is set so that they can be in capacity building is a critical component or out of the water. They have rocks and of our increased focus on developing a plants, as in their native environment. In larger conservation program in our own the breeding tanks, the water and light backyard, by adding species that are levels are also set to winter, with 8 hours important in southern California.”

of simulated sunlight and water tempera- © Jeff M. Lemm tures close to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius). During the spring and summer, the water level in the breeding tanks is lowered to simulate the breeding season, when the frogs typically lay eggs under rocks or behind small waterfalls. There is also a spotlight to simulate the strong sunshine they’d receive in the wild. While these frogs can take up to three years to metamorphose in the wild, including spending the winter under a layer of ice in mountain pools, the San Diego Zoo’s frogs live in an environment free of predation, with an abundance of crickets and worms to speed their growth. The 39 sub-adults are show-

ing signs of mating, although there has © Jeff M. Lemm not yet been any successful breeding. A mountain yellow-legged frog feeding on phoenix worms.

28 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 29 Ranchers Restore by Kate Symonds Amphibian-friendly Ponds

East of the San Francisco Bay ense). Both species are federally listed as area, in the arid hills of California’s threatened amphibians and are endemic inland Coast Ranges, ponds have become to California, where they have adapted magnets for wildlife, large and small. to seasonal and historic changes in their Two small but notable inhabitants of habitat. these ponds are the California red-legged The California tiger salamander, frog (Rana draytonii) and California marked by a striking black-and-yellow tiger salamander (Ambystoma californi- pattern, spends all but a few months

California red-legged frog USFWS

30 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 31 each year in the uplands, deep in rodent solar power pumps, tanks, and troughs. Service assistance burrows. When enough rain falls, they With natural habitat reduced, allowing To help offset the ranchers’ costs emerge from the uplands and sometimes livestock ponds to fail could have serious of paying for pond-repair projects, the travel as far as 1.3 miles (2 kilometers) to consequences for the future of California Service’s Sacramento Fish and Wildlife seek breeding ponds. tiger salamanders and red-legged frogs, Office is providing technical and cost- California red-legged frogs are the as well as for many other pond-dependent share assistance to the RCD through largest native frog in the western United species. the Endangered Species Recovery States and are believed to be the inspira- Program, the Partners for Fish and tion for Mark Twain’s short story, “The Ranchers and pond restoration Wildlife Program, and the Private Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Several Alameda ranchers have Stewardship Grant Program. Funding County.” They breed in ponds and creeks become interested in pond restoration is also provided by the NRCS, California with slow-moving water, and remain because they continue to value the ponds Coastal Conservancy, and National Fish there year-round. They will, however, as an important part of the landscape and Wildlife Foundation. To date, eight travel up to 2 miles (3.2 km) in search of a and recognize their value to wildlife. livestock ponds have been restored, and moist shelter. In the past year, the Alameda County several more restorations are planned for RCD and the federal Natural Resources 2008 and beyond. Livestock ponds Conservation Service (NRCS) have The support for pond restoration The Alameda County Resource been working with regulatory agencies underscores the importance of rangeland Conservation District (RCD) estimates to develop a coordinated permit-stream- habitats to the recovery of imperiled that nearly all of the 650 ponds in eastern lining program for pond restorations. amphibians and many species of plants, Alameda were created by cattle ranchers Ranchers now have “one-stop shopping” invertebrates, reptiles, birds, and mam- prior to the 1960s. As natural streams to obtain permits and funding for pond mals in California. and freshwater wetlands were lost to projects and other rangeland projects. intensive agricultural practices and The Fish and Wildlife Service’s permit development, tiger salamanders and incorporates a wildlife-friendly pond Kate Symonds is a fish and wildlife red-legged frogs have increasingly come design and describes management mea- biologist with the Service’s Sacramento to rely on livestock ponds for breeding sures such as keeping ponds free of fish Fish and Wildlife Office, Santa Rosa habitat. Ponds also provide breeding and bullfrogs, protecting ground squir- duty station, and can be reached at 707- habitat for other amphibians, including rel burrows as aestivation (a period of 578-8515 or [email protected]. the Pacific tree frog (Hyla regilla) and inactivity during summer months) habitat western toad (Bufo boreas), as well as for salamanders and frogs, and continu- habitat for mammals, reptiles, and birds. ing managed grazing, as well as measures Not all livestock ponds provide favor- to reduce impacts to listed species during able conditions for amphibians. Some pond repair projects. are small and dry out before amphibian breeding cycles are complete. Others Safe Harbor Agreement are large and retain water year round, To help alleviate ranchers’ concerns but support non-native predators such as that restoring amphibian-friendly warm water fishes and bullfrogs. Many livestock ponds may increase their ponds, having reached the end of their regulatory burden under the Endangered usefulness for livestock, are filling in with Species Act (ESA), the Service has sediment and have become choked with worked with the RCD, NRCS, and cattails, while others have spillways and Environmental Defense to issue one berms that are eroding or have washed of its first programmatic Safe Harbor out altogether. Agreements. Ranchers who participate Livestock pond repair projects can in this program have assurances they require permits from up to six regulatory will incur no extra regulatory obliga-

agencies. The rising costs to obtain envi- tions under the ESA if they restore and Kate Symonds ronmental permits and repair livestock maintain ponds and surrounding uplands The restored Alameda Sweet Pond. ponds to current standards often cause in a way that benefits the red-legged frog ranchers to abandon the ponds in favor of and the tiger salamander. less expensive options, such as installing

30 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 31 Evaluating Amphibian by Christina Lydick Abnormalities on Wildlife Refuges

In 1995, a group of middle school The Service helps to conserve habitat interchangeably. For our purposes, we students in Minnesota discovered large through the National Wildlife Refuge define abnormality as missing, extra, or numbers of frogs with misshapen, System, the world’s largest and most unusual body parts based on field obser- extra, or missing limbs. Their find diverse collection of lands set aside vations. A malformation occurs when focused national attention and concern specifically for wildlife conservation. something goes wrong during develop- on amphibian abnormalities. In recent To ensure the health of these habitats, mental stages, causing an organ or body years, scientists have observed an Service EC specialists monitor the effects part to form improperly. A deformity increasing number of frogs and toads of contamination on fish and wildlife. occurs when a body part that already with severe abnormalities throughout Many amphibian species are sensitive to exists becomes disfigured. the United States and other parts of a variety of environmental stressors and The potential causes of amphibian the world. Researchers are addressing may serve as early indicators of environ- abnormalities include the following: 1) the problem in many ways, including mental health. The Service is interested climate change (e.g., increased ultravio- conducting surveys and studies in both in determining to what extent abnormal let-B light due to ozone depletion, acid the field and laboratory. Several federal frogs occur on national wildlife refuges rain, drought); 2) predators (e.g., fish, agencies also are involved, including the and investigating the potential causes. bullfrogs, invertebrates); 3) pathogens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which (e.g., parasites, bacteria, fungi, viruses); benefits from the scientific expertise pro- What is the Difference Between and 4) chemical contaminants (e.g., pes- vided by its Environmental Contaminants Malformation and Deformity? ticides, heavy metals, fertilizer). Many (EC) program. Many people use the phrases abnor- scientists believe frog abnormalities have mality, malformation, and deformity a number of possible causes. In some areas, more than one factor may be caus- A malformed northern leopard frog ( Lithobates pipiens ) ing the abnormalities. It is also possible that the cause(s) may differ from one area to another.

Have We Found Frog Abnormalities on Refuges? Due to the especially high incidences of frog abnormalities reported in Minnesota and Vermont, the Service’s Northeast and Midwest Regions began assessments in 1997 to document the extent of abnormal frogs on national wildlife refuges. The Service’s EC and refuge biologists found abnormal frogs on several refuges in both regions. In 1999, the Northeast Region conducted a second set of assessments and discovered abnormal frogs on nine of its refuges. In

32 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 33 Moving Quickly Saves a Breeding Season by Della K. Snyder-Velto

On December 7, 2006, Robert San Francisquito Canyon, located Fisher of the U.S. Geological Survey approximately 30 miles (48 kilometers) (USGS) notified me of a biological emer- north of Los Angeles, is the only known gency at San Francisquito Canyon in the site in the Angeles National Forest occu- Angeles National Forest. Several pools pied by the California red-legged frog. created there by the U.S. Forest Service We know of no other healthy population (USFS) to assist in the recovery of the from this site south to the Mexican bor- California red-legged frog (Rana aurora der. Biologists from the USGS have been draytonii) had filled with sediment, monitoring the frogs in the canyon since eliminating breeding habitat for the rare the population’s discovery there in 1999. frogs.

A California red-legged frog tadpole USFWS

32 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 33 San Francisquito Canyon has expe- rienced dramatic habitat alteration resulting from a combination of fire in 2002, debris flows (2003, 2004, 2005), and flooding in 2005. These changes, together with the introduction of exotic predators and some continuing illegal take by people with a taste for frog legs, reduced the frog’s population in San Francisquito Canyon from 300 to 400 individuals in 1999 to fewer than 10 in 2006. In 2002 and 2004, the USFS created artificial breeding pools within the frog’s habitat. The pools proved to be a great success in both years. Nearly all of the breeding at the site occurred within the artificial pools. In 2005, however, sediment from floods filled all the artificial pools except one, which was successful in 2004 with eight egg masses but had Della K. Snyder-Velto become filled with sediment later that Heavy equipment helped in restoring the frog habitat. same year. Our data show that this population of frogs breeds between December and the rains started and the breeding season February each year. Therefore, it was began. The largest pool produced four critical that new breeding pools within red-legged frog egg masses during the canyon be excavated immediately to the 2007 breeding season. The USGS, secure the 2006-2007 breeding season. USFS, and the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Since it was less than three weeks before Office are continuing our cooperative Christmas, we faced the daunting chal- partnership to promote the recovery of lenge of getting this urgent project done the California red-legged frog in San with limited staff, time, and funding. Francisquito Canyon. Before digging could begin, both agencies had to overcome a number of regulatory and non-regulatory obstacles Della K. Snyder-Velto, a fish and that included amending the USGS wildlife biologist in the Service’s Ventura recovery permit, completing National Fish and Wildlife Office, can be reached Environmental Policy Act compli- at 626-574-5254 or della_snyder-velto@ ance, writing a Biological Assessment, fws.gov. completing an informal inter-agency consultation, consulting with the Army Corps of Engineers, satisfying the forest hydrologist and implementing his Best Management Practices, determining the best locations for the artificial pools, securing funding, hiring a backhoe opera- tor, digging the pools, and, finally, getting a badly stuck and sinking backhoe out of a rapidly filling pool! Due to the extraordinary cooperation among the Service, USGS, and USFS, we were able to create four new pools in the canyon by December 28, 2006 -- before

34 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 35 to refuges nationwide. The objectives other researchers for additional diag- of this program are to 1) determine if nostic evaluations. Researchers from refuges have sites with a high frequency the U.S. Geological Survey’s National of abnormal frogs, 2) evaluate whether Wildlife Health Center and from Indiana abnormality frequencies at a site are con- University have examined and radio- sistent within a season and among years, graphed some of our abnormal frogs and 3) investigate possible causes of the in an attempt to differentiate between abnormalities. As of December 2006, 137 deformities and malformations. We also refuges in 46 states were monitored at have worked with parasitologists from least once for abnormal frogs, and many the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse refuges have been visited more than once. and the University of Colorado. The Service has found abnormal frogs on Robin McWilliams-Munson refuges in all of its regions. What Will the Service Do with the This northern leopard frog exhibits polymelia (extra Although our nationwide assess- Information? limb). ment continues, we have already found Data in the scientific literature sug- abnormal frogs at greater than expected gest that abnormalities in amphibians frequencies at some sites. We also have normally occur at low frequencies (zero refuges for more intensive field studies as found that the presence of abnormal to two percent) in wild populations. part of our continuing abnormal amphib- frogs on refuges varies. Abnormality Therefore, the Service set three percent ian efforts. EC biologists have already frequencies have varied among years, as the abnormality frequency at which we conducted investigations at refuges between refuges, between ponds on indi- would consider additional sampling for in New Hampshire, New Jersey, and vidual refuges, and even within a single this project. Alaska. Other government, educational, pond over the course of one sampling As of December 2006, 58 refuges had and private institutions around the U.S. season. These differences may be due to a frequency of three percent or more and abroad are conducting additional normal fluctuations in amphibian popula- abnormal frogs in at least one pond dur- laboratory and field studies. As scientists tions, changing levels of environmental ing at least one sampling period, and sev- make cause and effect linkages, refuge stressors, or some combination. eral refuges had three percent or more managers can take action to mitigate the In addition to our field assessments, abnormal frogs for at least two sampling effects of their management practices we have provided abnormal frogs to seasons. The Service is considering these on amphibians and other wildlife. If data indicate that land use practices on

Refuge bio-technician Jon Krapfl catches a frog at Horicon National Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin. private property adjoining refuges are the likely cause of amphibian abnormalities, the Service will work closely with the landowners to help determine whether there are other cost-effective and efficient remedies available. For more information on amphibian abnormalities and declines, we invite you to visit the Service’s amphibian Web site at www.fws.gov/contaminants/Issues/ Amphibians.cfm.

Christina Lydick (christina_lydick@ fws.gov; 703-358-1782), a biologist in the Division of Environmental Quality in Arlington, Virginia, is the national coordinator for the Service’s abnormal amphibian surveys. Robin McWilliams-Munson

34 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 35 partners for F ish and wildlife

by Joe Milmoe Partnerships to Conserve Amphibian Habitat

Amphibians are highly sensitive largest contributor to amphibian declines to changes in their environment, and are throughout the United States. The thus regarded as a top indicator species. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program They are vulnerable to invasive species, recognizes the significance of amphibians pollution, and other threats attributed to and places a high priority on conserving global climate change, such as changes their wetland habitats. in precipitation, drought, increased The Partners Program is the premier UVB radiation, and acid precipitation. voluntary habitat restoration program However, loss of wetland habitat is the within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It provides technical and financial assistance to private landowners throughout Silmarie Padron, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Coordinator in the Caribbean, holds an endangered Puerto the nation to support the habitat needs Rican crested toad. of federal trust species. The Partners Program recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Since its establishment in 1987, the Partners Program has sup- ported more than 41,000 private landowners and developed partnerships with over 3,000 nationwide organizations. Working together, these partners have restored and enhanced 800,000 acres (324,000 hect- ares) of wetlands, 2 million acres (800,000 ha) of uplands, and 6,500 miles (10,500 kilometers) of stream habitat. The following examples highlight some of the work of the Partners Program to restore and enhance amphibian habitat:

Iniciativa Herpetologica (Arecibo, Puerto Rico) The Puerto Rican crested toad (Peltophryne lemur) is listed as a threatened species. A cooperative partnership between Iniciativa Herpetológica Puertorriquena (a local conservation organization) and the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program was designed and implemented in accordance with the

USFWS Puerto Rican Crested Toad Recovery

36 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 37 partners for F ish and wildlife

Cloverdale Ranch Pond Enhancement Project (San Mateo, California) Joe Milmoe, a fish and wildlife The ponds found throughout this biologist in the Partners for Fish and 6,000-acre (2,430-ha) ranch are breeding Wildlife program, can be reached at habitat for the threatened California [email protected] and 703-358-1879. red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii). Case study narrative information This species also serves as a critical food was adapted from project descrip- source for the endangered San Francisco tions originally written in the Habitat USFWS garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis Information Tracking System (HabITS) This fence around the breeding pond created for the Puerto Rican crested toad protects it from the tetrataenia). The project was developed by Kate Symonds (Sacramento Field invasive cane toad (Bufo marinus). in order to restore habitat within two Office), Kris Randall (Arizona Ecological failing ponds on the Cloverdale Coastal Services Field Office), and Silmarie Plan. Working with private landowner Ranch. These ponds, which total approxi- Padron (Boqueron Ecological Services Finca Tallonal, and with the help of the mately three acres (1.2 ha) in size, were Field Office). Puerto Rico Department of Natural in need of berm repair to prevent them Resources and the Association of Zoos from washing out. Enhancement of this and Aquariums, this project aims to habitat will directly benefit both federally establish three separate breeding ponds listed species. for the threatened toad. (See related story on page 18.) In May 2006, 4,000 tadpoles were deposited on the site in order to establish a new sustainable population. The Partners Program plans to annually assist in the releases for the next 10 years. A California red-legged frog tagged for study.

Douglas High School Ranarium and Wetland Project (Douglas, Arizona) Working with the Douglas High School, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is restoring 4.5 acres (1.8 ha) of wetland habitat for the establishment of an outdoor classroom. This project was developed to protect the threatened Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) and two endangered fish species, the Yaqui chub (Gila purpurea) and Yaqui topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis sonoriensis). In addition to wetland restoration for the outdoor classroom, a ranarium (in this case, a small pond) will be established to protect the tadpoles during their fragile metamorphic stages. Students at the high school will complete water quality analyses to ensure that the

frogs remain disease free. US Forest Service photo

36 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 37 U S G S research news

by Lianne Ball ARMI Detects What Isn’t Always Obvious

The story of world-wide declines of the Interior launched the Amphibian of amphibian populations has become Research and Monitoring Initiative familiar to many, though the fact that (ARMI). The ARMI is a national these declines are greater than those program of the U.S. Geological Survey documented for any other animal, includ- (USGS), composed of researchers ing birds and mammals, may not be. from the biology, water, and geography Amphibians are susceptible to changes disciplines. ARMI’s goals are to estimate in environmental conditions because of the status of amphibian populations physiological and life-history traits, such on public lands, conduct research on as moist permeable skin and the use of population declines, and identify potential both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. management strategies that protect As these traits are superimposed onto amphibians and their habitat. One of the changes in their environment such as intriguing questions ARMI scientists are habitat fragmentation, water availability, investigating is whether threats facing chemicals, diseases, and invasive species, amphibians on private or developed lands the places in which these species can find are also occurring on protected public refuge and reproduce decreases. lands. Public lands offer refuge to many In 2000, to address mounting concerns wildlife species, yet that protection alone for amphibians, the U.S. Department may not be enough to maintain wildlife populations. ARMI scientists have found Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) that amphibian populations are affected by stressors in our protected areas, and these stressors are often not directly observable. Dr. Larissa Bailey (Northeast ARMI) works in the Washington, D.C., area and has examined the effects of local urbanization on the vernal pools used by spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) and wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) within such protected areas as national parks and wildlife refuges. Her team found that ecosystem properties and amphibian occupancy of vernal pools was heavily influenced by local hydrol- ogy (e.g., pH, pool area) and changes in land management and use. Consistent with other studies, they found that occupancy of vernal pools by both species had a strong positive relationship to the

John D Willson proportion of forest land within these

38 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 39 U S G S research news

protected areas. They also found that occupied pools may be influenced by development outside the protected lands or by the proximity of the pools to roads and rivers that transect these protected areas. Evan Grant (Northeast ARMI) is extending this work to explore how location and size of stream networks and their proximity to park boundaries influ- ences the occupancy, local abundance, and movement of stream salamanders. Small water bodies, such as vernal pools, are not always protected by pesticide label requirements for no-spray buffer zones, and the occurrence of pesticides in these areas is poorly documented. ARMI hydrologist William Battaglin

(USGS Colorado Water Science Center) John D Willson sampled vernal pools and adjacent flow- Wood frog (Rana sylvatica) ing waters from protected areas in the Washington, D.C. area, Maryland, Iowa, the Sierra Nevada. ARMI scientist Dr. developing geospatial models to identify and Wyoming for pesticides in 2005 and Gary Fellers and his colleagues found amphibian populations at risk of decline 2006. His team chose these sites because that summertime winds from the San from multiple stressors at coarse spatial the herbicide glyphosate (the active Joaquin Valley in California transported scales. These models will help scientists ingredient in the herbicide “Roundup”) organochlorine and organophosphorus identify amphibian populations facing was being used near the vernal pools for pesticides (OPs) such as endosulfan emerging threats. agricultural purposes or the control of and chlorpyrifos into the mountains. There is uncertainty associated with non-native plants. They detected 28 pes- California red-legged frogs (Rana large-scale issues such as climate or ticides or pesticide degradation products draytonii) in the mountains had reduced land use changes that can directly or in one or more samples and as many as cholinesterase (i.e., a nervous system indirectly affect amphibians. ARMI 11 compounds in one sample. Atrazine, enzyme) activity, a bio-indicator of scientists are working to anticipate, another widely used herbicide, was exposure to OPs. However, those in areas detect, and evaluate factors affecting detected most frequently, and concentra- upwind (west) of the agricultural activity amphibian populations, and will strive to tions exceeded that chemical’s freshwater in the San Joaquin Valley did not have provide management options to address aquatic life standard (1.8 grams/liter) in depressed cholinesterase levels and had these new environmental conditions. samples from two ditches in a protected not undergone sharp declines. Recently, Most importantly, ARMI will continue area in Iowa. They measured the highest Fellers and Dr. Don Sparling (Southern to work with our partners to understand concentration of glyphosate (328 g/l), Illinois University) reported that chemi- the stressors that are easily observable in excess of its freshwater aquatic life cals called oxons, the breakdown products as well as those that are not so easily standard (65 g/l), in a sample from a of some OPs, were 10 to 100 times more observable, just like the amphibians we vernal pool within a protected area in toxic than their parent compound. study. Washington, D.C. Sometimes the things that stress To learn more or to contact regional Some chemicals can have impacts far amphibian populations are not sig- ARMI scientists, please visit the ARMI from where they are applied. Several nificant individually but produce a Web page (http//usgs.armi.gov). frog and toad species have undergone different outcome in combination (e.g., dramatic declines in the western U.S. in Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and the last 10 to 15 years. These declines contaminants). Drs. Walt Sadinski Dr. Ball, the ARMI National are not restricted to areas of obvious (Midwest ARMI) and Alisa Gallant Coordinator for the U.S. Geological landscape modification but occur in the (USGS National Center for Earth Survey, can be reached at 703-648-4028. relatively undisturbed mountains of Resources Observation and Science) are

38 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 39 C hildren in nature by Jim Knox The Scientist Within Us All

Virtually all of us in the field of Muccio, encouraged me to tag along and wildlife conservation owe our respective attend a free flight raptor presentation career paths to select adults who took “with the big kids” in the middle school’s time out of their busy lives to kindle our auditorium. I still remember two things spark of interest in wildlife. If we reflect, with great clarity: the ease with which we can remember their impact. the Harris hawk banked over my head I was in third grade. Aware of my and the patience with which the presenter growing fascination with wild creatures, answered my question as she secured her my sister’s homeroom teacher, Mr. birds for travel. It is this sharing – this spirit of encouragement and cooperative learning A young citizen scientist at work. – that is the human link between our conservation efforts and our public’s desire, and ability, to assist these efforts. This “shoulder to shoulder” approach to conservation, the lifeblood of citizen science, levels the field of play for the expert and the devoted novice alike. It establishes common goals for all and engenders the kind of teamwork that can surmount the most formidable barriers. Citizen science embodies the pledge and the partnership we extend to every person who passes through our gates. For 10 years, Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has been a proud participant in the Connecticut Amphibian Monitoring Project (C.A.M.P.). Conservation professionals and volunteers from ages 8 to 88 have slogged through wetlands season after season in a comprehensive, 15-year effort to document amphibian presence and diversity throughout Connecticut. Zoo staff and volunteers have joined forces with fellow professional/citizen teams representing conservation partners such as the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center, and Yale University’s Peabody Museum of Natural History. Chris Clark/Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo

40 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 41 C hildren in nature

The benefits to such citizen science are numerous: data acquisition; augmenta- tion of knowledge; enhanced ability to implement sound conservation policy; strengthened ties among communities, conservation facilities, and agencies; improved public conservation literacy and advocacy…even scientific discovery. In fact, C.A.M.P. citizen scientists, including students, scouts, and families, have verified an astounding 127 new town records representing 22 amphibian species throughout Connecticut, 12 species of salamanders and 10 species of frogs and toads. Under the expert eyes and mentoring of conservation professionals, hundreds of volunteers have compiled this revised and comprehensive statewide amphibian distribution record that had Chris Clark/Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Citizen science volunteers of all ages are the lifeblood of numerous amphibian conservation projects eluded the most accomplished individual nationwide. herpetologists. Furthermore, thanks to these citizen scientists, full locality data conservation be any different? From experience, a great way to get children for endangered, threatened, and special Bridgeport to Borneo, local people have and their parents outside working as a concern species have been submit- always, and will always, make all the dif- team. I feel honored to be able to help ted to Connecticut’s Environmental ference. It is this duality of science and with the research. Amphibians are an and Geographical Information Center citizenship, or “the human side of things,” important indicator of the environment’s for inclusion in its Natural Diversity that transforms conservation from the health. I feel this project, with its hands- Database. abstract to the tangible for so many. on approach, helps connect people with Citizen science is frequently a matter Gregory Watkins-Colwell, Museum the environment around them. I look of perspective. When we walk through Assistant in the Division of Vertebrate forward to the final results but I will defi- the door at the end of our day, we shed Zoology at Yale University’s Peabody nitely miss the early Saturday morning our roles as directors, curators, educa- Museum of Natural History, provides the searches with the volunteers I have truly tors, and keepers to assume roles like perspective of both scientist and father. come to know and appreciate.” dad, mom, neighbor or friend. Ultimately, “I got involved with C.A.M.P. because Citizen-based conservation efforts however, we all assume the role of citizen. appreciation of biodiversity begins in hold enormous potential to establish How many times have we been tapped to your own backyard. It is important to mutually beneficial partnerships, pro- speak to a civic group or share some of me that my children grow up knowing mote conservation literacy and advocacy, our expertise with a local conservation the sounds of spring peepers and the joy and produce discovery. Yet there is one or school group? In the supermarket, in of finding a red elf in the woods. One more benefit, and it is no small matter. the post office, or on the street, we pass doesn’t have to go to Panama to find Every once in a great while, we achieve our anonymous counterparts: count- amphibians in peril.” something wonderful and far-reaching. less individuals who possess invaluable Similar sentiments are echoed by We return the favor we received so long experience, skills, and resources to offer other contributors. When she’s not serv- ago when we share our love of wildlife to conservation and education initiatives. ing as the Registrar for Connecticut’s touch the life of a child. In the absence of citizen science, this Beardsley Zoo, Linda Tomas volunteers collective wellspring of talent, ability and her time and organizational expertise as energy remains largely untapped. a C.A.M.P. Site Coordinator and Search Jim Knox is a Zoo Educator at As all conservationists know, field Leader. For Linda, the benefits are all Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo and hosts conservation is ultimately, only as effec- too tangible. Wild Zoofari, a new PBS children’s wild- tive as the acceptance and participation of “I find this project to be several things life series filmed at the world’s premiere the local people. Why should “backyard” to me: fun, enriching, a great learning zoos and aquariums.

40 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 41 C hildren in nature by Jeff Servoss Introducing Students to Endangered Species

Biologists in the U.S. Fish and This pilot curriculum was designed as Wildlife Service’s Arizona Ecological a backdrop with which to integrate other Services Office (AESO) teamed up with major topics covered in the Glendale Thunderbird High School in Phoenix to Unified High School District’s acceler- assist with a pilot curriculum that intro- ated biology curriculum throughout the duces urban public high school students school year. Topics include cell biology, to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and the plight of Arizona’s threatened, genetics, evolution, ecology, animal endangered, and sensitive species. behavior, biochemistry, and mammalian Three classes of freshmen and physiology. The fact that many or all of sophomores in an accelerated biology these topics pertain directly to issues curriculum were asked to choose a native affecting students’ chosen species

USFWS plant or animal species to research reinforces their understanding of the Students from Thunderbird High School assisting in and integrate into a year-long project connectivity of ecosystems and the cause frog surveys along the Hassayampa River. and final oral presentation. This pilot and effect dynamics of actions on the curriculum also included a history of the landscape. ESA and how the pioneering legislation To help reconnect urban students with has been used to conserve and recover nature, several students were granted listed species. the opportunity to join AESO biologists Section 7 of the ESA is used as a in the field to learn more about native framework in this curriculum. The ecology and wildlife and gain insight into curriculum required each student the professional careers of Service biolo- to complete several individual writ- gists. For example, students participated ing assignments during the academic in electro-shocking surveys for native fish year, addressing historical and current in a pristine canyon stream, conducted threats to their chosen species and the Yuma clapper rail surveys in marshland current status of their species. It also habitat, conducted nocturnal ranid frog asked students to create a hypothetical surveys and identifications, conducted proposed action affecting their species, northern Mexican gartersnake surveys, the environmental baseline in the area of and collected specimens for a captive their proposed action, and their recom- propagation and release conservation mendations on how to minimize effects to project. their species. In essence, each student completed a section 7 biological opinion Jeff Servoss, a fish and wildlife biolo- on their chosen species. In addition, gist in the Arizona Ecological Services students were required to contact or Office, can be reached at 602-242-0210 or interview professional biologists in the [email protected] . public, private, or academic sectors to hone communication skills and get additional information on their project.

42 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 43 R ulema k ing actions

Since January 1, 2008, the Fish “The wolf population in the Northern change, it can be considered for relisting and Wildlife Service has announced the Rockies has far exceeded its recovery under the Endangered Species Act. following proposed and final rules in goal and continues to expand its size The northern Rocky Mountain DPS accordance with the Endangered Species and range. States, tribes, conservation covered by the delisting rule includes all Act: groups, federal agencies, and citizens can of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, as well be proud of their roles in this remarkable as the eastern one-third of Washington Final Rules conservation success story,” said Scarlett, and Oregon, and a small part of north- noting that there are currently more than central Utah. Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves 1,500 wolves and at least 100 breeding The minimum recovery goal for wolves Delisted pairs in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. in the northern Rocky Mountains was The gray wolf (Canis lupus) popula- Service-approved state management set at a minimum of 30 breeding pairs (a tion in the Northern Rocky Mountains plans will provide a secure future for the breeding pair represents a successfully is thriving and no longer requires the wolf population, and the states assume reproducing wolf pack) and a minimum protection of the Endangered Species full management of wolf populations of 300 individual wolves for at least three Act, Deputy Secretary of the Interior within their borders. The Endangered consecutive years. This goal was achieved Lynn Scarlett announced recently. As Species Act requires the Service to work in 2002, and the wolf population has a result, the Service published a final with state agencies to monitor the popula- expanded in size and range every year. rule in the February 27, 2008, Federal tion and threats to a species for at least “These wolves have shown an impres- Register removing this distinct popula- 5 years after it is delisted. If a species’ sive ability to breed and expand -- they tion segment (DPS) from the federal list population decreases or the threats just needed an opportunity to establish of threatened and endangered species. John and Karen Hollingsworth

42 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 43 R ulema k ing actions

themselves in the Rockies. The Service Sonoran Desert of central Arizona are District of Arizona ordered the Service and its partners provided that opportu- again protected under the Endangered to: 1) conduct a status review of the “bald nity, and now it’s time to integrate wolves Species Act as threatened. The Service eagle population of the Sonoran Desert into the states’ overall wildlife manage- will soon publish an emergency interim region of the American Southwest” ment efforts,” said Service Director H. rule in the Federal Register to comply (desert bald eagle) to determine whether Dale Hall. with the court order. recognizing the desert bald eagle popula- Gray wolves were previously listed as On October 6, 2004, the Service tion as a DPS is warranted, and if so, endangered in the lower 48 states, except received a petition to reclassify the whether listing the DPS as threatened or in Minnesota, where they were listed as Sonoran Desert population of bald eagles endangered pursuant to the Endangered threatened. The wolf population in the in central Arizona and northwestern Species Act is warranted; and 2) issue a western Great Lakes was delisted due Mexico as a distinct population segment 12-month finding on whether recognizing to recovery in early 2007. The Service (DPS), to list that DPS as an endangered the desert bald eagle population as a DPS will continue to oversee the only remain- species, and designate critical habitat. is warranted, and if so, whether listing ing endangered gray wolf recovery A DPS must be geographically discrete the DPS as threatened or endangered program, which covers the southwestern from other populations and also be is warranted. The court ordered the U.S. wolf population. The February 27 significant to the survival of the spe- Service to issue this finding by December delisting affects only the northern Rocky cies. Discrete refers to the isolation of 5, 2008. Mountain population of gray wolves. a population from other members of the Based on the court order and the Gray wolves found outside of the Rocky species and is evaluated based on specific description of the bald eagle population in Mountain and Midwest recovery areas, criteria. On August 30, 2006, the Service the original petition, the desert bald eagle including the southwest wolf population, announced a 90-day finding stating that population is defined as those eagles in remain protected under the Endangered the petition did not present substantial the Sonoran Desert residing in central Species Act and are not affected by the scientific or commercial information Arizona and northwestern Mexico. Since delisting rule. indicating the petitioned action may be bald eagles in northwestern Mexico were warranted. On January 5, 2007, the never protected under the Endangered Desert Bald Eagle Listed as petitioners filed a legal challenge against Species Act, only those bald eagles found Threatened the Service’s 90-day finding decision. in the Sonoran Desert of central Arizona Due to a recent court order, bald As a result of that lawsuit, on March are reinstated to federal protection eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in the 6, 2008, the U.S. District Court for the under the Endangered Species Act. The remainder of formerly listed bald eagles will not be placed back on the list of threatened and endangered species. The Service first listed the bald eagle as endangered in 43 States and threatened in 5 others on February 14, 1978. Bald eagles were never listed in Alaska where they are abundant, and they are not found in Hawaii. On July 12, 1995, the Service reclassified the bald eagle from endangered to threatened in the lower or contiguous 48 States. The Service published the final rule to delist the bald eagle in the lower 48 states on July 9, 2007. This action was based on a thorough review of the best available data, which indicated that the threats to the species have been eliminated or reduced to the point at which the species Laura L Whitehouse

44 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 45 R ulema k ing actions

had recovered and no longer met the by locust swarms, and by predation by definition of threatened or endangered. introduced predators. In order to ensure the public is noti- The black stilt, known only from New fied of the effects of the recent court Zealand, is a wading bird up to 16 inches order, the Service will soon publish (40 cm) tall, with long red legs, a slender an emergency interim rule amending bill, and black plumage. In the 1950s, the regulations for the Federal List of its population was estimated between Endangered and Threatened species at 500 and 1,000 birds, but the current wild 50 CFR 17.11 to designate the desert population includes only 87 adults, with bald eagle as threatened in accordance just 17 breeding pairs. New Zealand with the Endangered Species Act. The has managed the species since 1981. emergency interim rule will be effective Recovery plans have focused on increas- until the Service makes a new final deter- ing the species’ low breeding success, mination as to the appropriate status of which is largely attributed to human- the Sonoran Desert bald eagle, or until induced habitat alteration, including the the March 6, 2008, court order is either introduction of non-native predators.

stayed or reversed in any subsequent Dick Veitch The caerulean paradise-flycatcher was Black stilts judicial proceedings. No decision has believed to be extinct until 19 individuals been made as to whether the government were observed between 1998 and 1999 in will appeal that order. Granting the birds protection under a small part of a forest on Sangihe Island For more information on this court the Endangered Species Act means in Indonesia. Colored a bright caerulean order and bald eagle recovery in the U.S., import or export of any of the species blue (which can be likened to a deep blue please visit http://www.fws.gov/migrato- (or their parts) into the U.S., as well as sky) and growing up to 5 inches (12 cm) rybirds/baldeagle.htm. their sale in interstate commerce, would tall, this bird prefers primary rainforest be prohibited. The only exception to habitat and has an estimated population Six Foreign Species of Birds Listed as the prohibitions would be for scientific of 19 to 135 birds. The island on which Endangered purposes or to aid in efforts to enhance it lives has been nearly deforested for Six species of birds from Mexico, the propagation or survival of the species. timber, pulp, or conversion to agriculture. Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific These birds have suffered from a vari- Additional risks to the species include were listed by the Service on January 15, ety of threats including habitat fragmen- inadequate protection, unregulated hunt- 2008, as endangered. tation, predation and competition from ing, and the risks associated with small The birds include the Socorro mock- invasive species, unregulated hunting, population size. ingbird (Mimus graysoni) of Socorro and trafficking. The Service hopes that The 8-inch (20-cm), blue and turquoise Island in Mexico, the black stilt of New designation as endangered species will Gurney’s pitta is a terrestrial bird that Zealand (Himantopus novaezelandiae), help garner added international support hops around the floor of lowland, semi- the caerulean paradise-flycatcher for conservation efforts in the countries evergreen secondary rainforest, con- (Eutrichomyias rowleyi) on Sangihe where these species live. suming insects, snails, and earthworms. Island in Indonesia, Gurney’s pitta (Pitta The Socorro mockingbird is found only Once known throughout the Thai-Malay gurneyi) of Myanmar and Thailand, the on Socorro Island in the Rivillagigedo peninsula of Thailand and Myanmar, the long-legged thicketbird (Trichocichla archipelago of Mexico. Mostly brown bird had not been seen in the wild for rufa) of Viti Levu Island in Fiji, and with white underparts, this bird stands more than 30 years when it was rediscov- the giant ibis (Pseudibis gigantea) of just 10 inches (25 centimeters) tall. In ered in 1986 -- ironically, with the help of Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam. Most 1925, it was considered to be the most a wildlife smuggler. Trapped in the wild of these birds have wild populations so abundant land-based bird on the island, for sale in the pet trade, Gurney’s pitta small that scientists are concerned about but today it is believed to number only was first placed in Appendix III of the the loss of genetic variation among the around 400 birds in the wild. The species Convention on International Trade in remaining birds, which can decrease is threatened by habitat loss from over- Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and their ability to survive disease or other grazing by non-native sheep, agricultural Flora (CITES) in 1987 and transferred in catastrophes. conversion by farmers, and defoliation 1990 to CITES Appendix I because the population was no longer viable and could

44 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 45 R ulema k ing actions

accumulated through the food chain, it interfered with the pelican’s eggshell production. Once residues of the pesticide declined after the ban, recovery actions began to succeed. Louisiana, long known as the “Pelican State,” has been a key partner in efforts to recover the pelican in the Gulf Coast region. For example, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission jointly carried out a restoration project. A total of 1,276 young pelicans were captured at sites in Florida and released at three sites in southeastern Louisiana during the 13 years of the P.D. Round/BirdlifeP.D. project. A male Gurney’s pitta. Efforts to protect the brown pelican led to the birth of the National Wildlife not sustain commercial trade. Known degradation, as well as indiscriminate Refuge System more than a century ago only from a single, declining population hunting, pose threats to the survival of in Florida, where a German immigrant in Thailand since 1986, the species was this species. named Paul Kroegel was appalled by the rediscovered in 2003 in Myanmar; the indiscriminate slaughter of pelicans for current population may stand at just 180 Proposed Rules their feathers. His impassioned pleas birds. Gurney’s pitta suffers from habitat to President Theodore Roosevelt led loss, capture for the pet bird trade, inad- Brown Pelican Proposed for Delisting Roosevelt to create the first National equate protection, and possibly predation. Celebrating the recovery of the brown Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island in 1903 The long-legged thicketbird, of Viti pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), the and name Kroegel its first refuge man- Levu Island in Fiji, is just 6 inches (15 Service proposed on February 20, 2008, ager. More than a century later, there cm) tall, with long blue legs, a short to remove this bird range-wide from the are 548 national wildlife refuges, many of black bill, and a long tail. Described as a federal list of threatened and endangered which have played key roles in the brown reclusive island endemic, it was believed species. pelican’s recovery. extinct after an absence of sightings since In 1985, the Service delisted the brown In the southwest, the Texas Parks 1894. But the bird was rediscovered in pelican in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and and Wildlife Department, The Nature 2003, when 12 pairs were located in the northward along the Atlantic Coast states Conservancy, and numerous other con- remote Wabu Forest Reserve. Threats due to its recovery in those areas. The servation organizations helped purchase to the species are not well known, but new proposal would delist the species’ important nesting sites and developed include loss of habitat and possible preda- remaining populations in Mississippi, monitoring programs to ensure pelican tion by the mongoose, an introduced Louisiana, and Texas, along the U.S. rookeries were thriving. Other habitat predator. Pacific Coast, in the Caribbean, and along protection and restoration efforts within True to its name, the giant ibis stands the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Central the U.S., Mexico, and some Central and up to three feet (0.9 meter) tall. Once and South America. There are now more South American countries also contrib- found in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and than 620,000 brown pelicans range-wide. uted to the pelican’s recovery. The legal Viet Nam, the species was believed to The brown pelican’s recovery is due protections provided by the Endangered be extinct in all but Cambodia. Recent in large measure to the federal ban on Species Act, coupled with the banning of rediscoveries confirm its existence the general use of the pesticide DDT DDT in 1972, provided the means for the in small numbers in all but Thailand, in 1972, after former Service biologist Service and its partners to accelerate the with an estimated population of just Rachel Carson published Silent Spring pelican’s recovery. State wildlife agen- 100 pairs of birds. Deforestation, dam and alerted the nation to the dangers cies, universities, private ornithological construction, and other forms of habitat of unrestricted pesticide use. As DDT groups, and individuals participated in

46 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 47 R ulema k ing actions

reintroduction efforts and helped protect wet forests of eastern Moloka‘i at eleva- on O‘ahu, and cuttings were taken from nest sites during the breeding season. tions between 2,300 and 4,200 feet (700 to some of the other plants for propagation. If the brown pelican is removed from 1,280 meters). In addition, 12 Phyllostegia hispida the list of threatened and endangered Phyllostegia hispida, a nonaromatic plants grown in captivity were outplanted species, other federal laws, such as the member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), within the natural area reserve in April. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the is a loosely spreading, many-branched A check on the plants two months later Lacey Act, will continue to protect the vine that forms large tangled masses. found 11 healthy plants. In June 2007, pelican, its nests, and its eggs from harm. The most significant threat to its survival another 12 individuals were outplanted Further, the Service is working with state is its low numbers, which make it par- into an exclosure at The Nature wildlife agencies in the pelican’s range ticularly susceptible to extinction from Conservancy’s Kamakou Preserve, bring- to develop cooperative management random events such as hurricanes and ing the total number of plants in the wild agreements for continued monitoring disease outbreaks. Other major threats to 10 naturally occurring and 23 recently and protection. The Endangered Species are predation and habitat degradation outplanted individuals. Act also requires the Service to work by feral pigs, competition with invasive Conservation measures have been with the state agencies to monitor the non-native plants species, and possible taken and continue today to protect the population and threats to a species for predation by invertebrates such as slugs. species. Propagules from this spe- at least 5 years after it is delisted. If Phyllostegia hispida has rarely been cies that may be used for outplanting a species’ population decreases or the seen in the wild. From 1910 to 1979, a into suitable habitat are maintained threats change, a species can be relisted total of eight occurrences were recorded. by the Lyon Arboretum, the National for protection under the Endangered Since 1979, individual plants have been Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua‘i, and Species Act. discovered periodically, but in subsequent Kalaupapa National Historical Park on years they have died for various reasons. Moloka‘i. Hawaiian Plant Proposed for Listing In April 2007, 10 new wild plants were Four of the plants recently discov- A Hawaiian plant known to botanists discovered within the Pu‘u Ali‘i Natural ered within the Pu‘u Ali‘i Natural Area as Phyllostegia hispida, a species so rare Area Reserve on Moloka‘i, including one Reserve are protected from feral pigs by it has no common name, was proposed on mature individual. Seeds were collected a fenced exclosure, and there are no signs February 19, 2008, for listing as endan- from the mature plant and sent to the of feral ungulate activity in the vicin- gered. These plants are found only in the University of Hawaii’s Lyon Arboretum ity of the other six plants. The Nature Conservancy of Hawai’i continues to control feral pigs and alien plants within the Kamakou Preserve. A brown pelican flies over islands near Pismo Beach, California. Details on these rulemaking actions, and on proposed and final designa- tions of critical habitat, are available by accessing the Service’s centralized library of Federal Register notices at http://www.fws.gov/policy/frsystem/ default.cfm. Shutterstock/David Simth P.

46 Endangered Species Bulletin Spring 2008 Spring 2008 Endangered Species Bulletin 47 B o x S core Listings and Recovery Plans as of May 13, 2008

ENDANGERED THREATENED TOTAL U.S. SPECIES GROUP U.S. FOREIGN U.S. FOREIGN LISTINGS W/ PLANS

MAMMALS 69 256 12 20 357 56

BIRDS 75 179 15 6 275 85

REPTILES 13 66 24 16 119 38

AMPHIBIANS 13 8 10 1 32 17

FISHES 74 11 65 1 151 101

SNAILS 64 1 11 0 76 69

CLAMS 62 2 8 0 72 70

CRUSTACEANS 19 0 3 0 22 18

INSECTS 47 4 10 0 61 35

ARACHNIDS 12 0 0 0 12 6

CORALS 0 0 2 0 2 0

ANIMAL SUBTOTAL 448 527 160 44 1,179 495

FLOWERING PLANTS 570 1 143 0 714 630

CONIFERS 2 0 1 2 5 3

FERNS AND OTHERS 26 0 2 0 28 28

PLANT SUBTOTAL 598 1 146 2 747 661

TOTAL U.S. ENDANGERED: 1,046 (448 animals, 598 plants) * Separate populations of a species listed both as Endangered and Threatened are tallied once, for the endangered population only. Those species are the TOTAL U.S. THREATENED: 306 (160 animals, 146 plants) argali, chimpanzee, leopard, Stellar sea-lion, gray wolf, piping plover, roseate TOTAL U.S. LISTED: 1,352 (608 animals**, 744 plants) tern, green sea turtle, saltwater crocodile, and olive ridley sea turtle. For the purposes of the Endangered Species Act, the term “species” can mean a species, subspecies, or distinct vertebrate population. Several entries also represent entire genera or even families. ** Eleven U.S. animal species and five foreign species have dual status.

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U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Washington, D.C. 20240