Spotted Frog Recovery

The Oregon spotted frog once occupied many lowland wetland habitats from southern Oregon to southwestern British Columbia. However, it is now present at 46 sites in this range and is classified as endangered in Washington.  Unlike other frogs, this species lives exclusively in aquatic areas and generally requires extensive wetlands that include grassy areas with seasonal inundation under a foot in depth for breeding.

Spottedfrog

In 2013, the Washington Department of Fish and wildlife released its draft recovery plan for the Oregon spotted frog. For the past few years, Chris Holcomb has been volunteering with an Oregon spotted frog reintroduction effort at Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) and with inventories and habitat assessment at some Thurston County sites.  At JBLM, Chris helped out with monitoring reintroduced frogs and wrote a summary report on dispersal and habitat use.

Monitoring Wolf Pack Movements

Using radio telemetry and an online GPS-based system Chris monitored wolf pack movements on a recent contract assignment with the Department of Fish & Wildlife. The goal was to   discourage wolves from coming within two miles of a herd of 1000 sheep. It was an interesting experience using Spanish language skills to communicate with the shepherd. Fortunately, there were no wolf depredations on the sheep.