DRAFT State of Washington Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Plan Lisa A. Hallock Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, Washington 98501-1091 May 2013 In 1990, the Washington Wildlife Commission adopted procedures for listing and de-listing species as endangered, threatened, or sensitive and for writing recovery and management plans for listed species (WAC 232-12-297 [Appendix A]). The procedures, developed by a group of citizens, interest groups, and state and federal agencies, require preparation of recovery plans for species listed as threatened or endangered. Recovery, as defined by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the process by which the decline of an endangered or threatened species is arrested or reversed, and threats to its survival are neutralized, so that its long-term survival in nature can be ensured. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has adopted this definition. This is the Draft State of Washington Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Plan. The preliminary draft has undergone agency and scientific review. It summarizes what is known of the historical and current distribution and abundance of Oregon Spotted Frog populations in Washington and describes factors affecting these populations and occupied habitat. It prescribes strategies to recover the species, such as protecting populations and existing habitat, evaluating and restoring habitat, developing potential reintroductions of Oregon Spotted Frogs into vacant habitat and initiating research and cooperative programs. Target population objectives and other criteria for reclassification are identified. As part of the State’s listing and recovery procedures, the draft recovery plan is available for a 90-day public comment period. Please submit written comments on this report by August 9, 2013 via e-mail: [email protected] or by mail to: Endangered Species Section Manager Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife 600 Capitol Way North Olympia, WA 98501-1091 This report should be cited as: Hallock, Lisa. 2013. Draft State of Washington Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Plan. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia. 93 +v pp. Photos in text by author unless otherwise credited Title page illustration by Darrell Pruett DRAFT May 2013 ii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The recovery plan was improved by substantial comments and suggestions from the following people: Harriet Allen (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife [WDFW]), David Anderson (WDFW), Jennifer Bohannon (WDFW), Marian Bailey (US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS]), Eric Gardner (WDFW), Marc Hayes (WDFW), Dave Hays (WDFW), Shannon Ludwig (USFWS), Deanna Lynch (USFWS), Kelly McAllister (Washington Department of Transportation), Blake Murden (Port Blakely Tree Farms), Heidi Newsome (USFWS), Nathan Pamplin (WDFW), Greg Schirato (WDFW), Tammy Schmidt (WDFW), Derek Stinson (WDFW), David Wilderman (Washington Department of Natural Resources’ Natural Areas Program), Michelle Tirhi (WDFW), Tiffany Hicks (WDFW) and Gary Wiles (WDFW). Peer review was provided by Michael Adams (US Geological Survey), Christine Bishop (Environment Canada Science & Technology Branch), and Christopher Pearl (US Geological Survey). Derek Stinson provided guidance and feedback throughout development of the plan and also provided assistance with document formatting and layout. Photographs were provided by Dana Hagin, Tiffany Hicks, Regina Johnson, Kelly McAllister, Ken Risenhoover, Julie Tyson and Jan Wieser. Lori Salzer created Figures 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 21, 23 and 26. The following people provided unpublished data for this report: Marian Bailey, Bonnie Blessing Earle, Joseph Engler, Sanders Freed, Marc Hayes, Regina Johnson, William Leonard, Kelly McAllister, Blake Murden, Claudine Reynolds, Tammy Schmidt, Michelle Tirhi, Julie Tyson and Joshua Wallace. Lori Salzer provided information from the WDFW WSDM database. Deanna Lynch, USFWS, provided access to her library of Oregon Spotted Frog literature. Apologies to anyone omitted. The majority of funding to develop the Recovery Plan came from a Competitive State Wildlife Grant (SWG) written by Marc Hayes. The Conservation Endowment Fund of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums also provided funding toward this effort. The WDFW Endangered Species Section, funded by Personalized License Plates, Orca Background Plates and SWG Endangered Species Recovery Funds, provided multiple reviews of the document. WDFW acknowledges the many conservation efforts of the Washington Oregon Spotted Frog Working Group from 2008 to present. Members include biologists from state and federal agencies, Port Blakely Tree Farms, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Center for Natural Lands Management, and The Evergreen State College. Also participating are members of the Northwest Zoo and Aquarium Alliance including staff from Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Center, Woodland Park Zoo, Northwest Trek, and Oregon Zoo. DRAFT May 2013 iii Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................. iv List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ v List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ vii INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 1 TAXONOMY ............................................................................................................................................... 1 DESCRIPTION............................................................................................................................................. 2 Similar Species.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Hybridization ................................................................................................................................................ 7 GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION ........................................................................................................... 8 NATURAL HISTORY ................................................................................................................................. 8 Reproduction ................................................................................................................................................. 9 Sources of Mortality ................................................................................................................................... 12 Diet…… ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Activity Patterns, Home Range, Seasonal Movements and Dispersal ........................................................ 15 Interspecific Interactions among Native Ranids ......................................................................................... 17 Environmental Health, Medical Applications and Ecological Importance ................................................. 17 HABITAT REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................... 19 WASHINGTON POPULATION STATUS ............................................................................................... 23 Historical Distribution ................................................................................................................................ 23 Historical Abundance .................................................................................................................................. 25 Current Distribution and Status in Washington .......................................................................................... 26 Puget Trough Ecoregion ............................................................................................................................. 27 East Cascades Ecoregion ............................................................................................................................ 32 WASHINGTON HABITAT STATUS ....................................................................................................... 36 Past……. ..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Present….. ................................................................................................................................................... 38 Puget Trough Ecoregion ............................................................................................................................. 38 East Cascades Ecoregion ............................................................................................................................ 41 LEGAL STATUS ......................................................................................................................................