Mountain Biking: Rubber side down- Time for a TurnaroundWell, my friends, things are finally looking up, and good timing, too, since I’m sure you’re all sick of me bitching. Recent bike build, including wheels… fun! In what feels like a fairly short time, I’ve come from sitting around … Continue reading → […]
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- Time for a Turnaround
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Feds search for northern leopard frog, which sometimes live in Boulder ponds
A northern leopard frog | National Park Service
Perhaps you recognize the northern leopard frog from the dissection tray in your high school biology class?
But have you seen one (alive) lately?
The northern leopard frog used to be easy to find across 19 states, including Colorado — and they were one of the key species fried up for frog legs.
But over the last few decades, the species has been on the decline.
Now the feds are out counting the small frog to see if the spotted amphibian needs protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The leopard frog is known to live in Boulder County. A 2006 study by the city’s open space department scoured 32 wetlands (which included ponds, intermittent streams and irrigation ditches) and found 172 leopard frogs.
Federal biologists believe leopard frog populations are currently undergoing a dramatic decline from vast areas of its historical range in the western United States and Canada.
A coalition of eight conservation groups — including the Center for Native Ecosystems and the Laramie-based Biodiversity Conservation Alliance — submitted a petition to the UWFWS in 2006 seeking to protect the amphibian throughout its historic range west of the Mississippi River and Great Lakes.
USFWS officials completed an initial review of the petition in May, which concluded that western populations of the frog may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The agency is embarking on a more thorough, scientific review of the species before making a final determination.
The northern leopard frog ranges from 2 to 4.5 inches long and is marked by large, oval dark spots, each of which is surrounded by a lighter halo.
Read the full story at Trib.com.
