Biodiversity Guide - The Intertwine

StatusStateHeritageSpecies Federal WA OR Ranks Special Needs Limiting Factors Data Gaps Conservation ActionsAmphibians — Frogs and Toads continuedNorthern RedleggedFrog(Rana auroraaurora)SoC SV OR – S3S4WA – S4Ponds and wetlands with shallowareas and emergent plants. Accessto forested habitats (forestedwetlands, uplands).Loss and warming of egg-layinghabitats in OR. Predation andcompetition by invasive fish andbullfrogs.Identify overwintering habitat.Clarify impacts of pollutants,ultraviolet radiation, and parasiteson populations.Maintain wetland habitat withemergent plants. Maintain adjacentforested habitats. Control bullfrogsand invasive fish at key sites.Cascades Frog(Rana cascadae)SoC SM SV OR – S3WA – S3S4Mountain meadows, bogs, ponds,or potholes above 2,400 feetelevation. Lays eggs in shallowsunny edges of ponds, or on lowvegetation near ponds where warmsunlight speeds egg developmentand spring rains allow hatchlings toswim into ponds. Larvae “school” inlarge masses.Montane species vulnerable togenetic isolation. Experiencingsubstantial reductions in southernparts of range (e.g., CA).Feeding habits. Possible effects ofintroduced fishes, pathogens, andairborne environmental pollution.Habitat characteristics that couldenhance migration and gene flow.Feasibility studies on reintroductionat historical sitesMaintain connectivity of habitat.Monitor effects of fish stockingand water quality on populations.Carefully manage livestock grazingin occupied wet meadows. Useprescribed burning or handfellingof trees to set back plantsuccession. Reintroductions shoulduse individuals from nearbypopulations; use results fromfeasibility studies to guide furtheractions. Conservation actions inOregon are especially valuablegiven reductions in other parts ofrange.[Oregon SpottedFrog (Ranapretiosa) – Extinctfrom Metroregion]C SE SC OR – S2WA – S1Permanent ponds, marshes andmeandering streams throughmeadows for breeding andforaging, especially with shallowwater and a bottom layer of deadand decaying vegetation. Springsand other sites with low, continuouswater flow for overwintering.Slow to reach reproductive maturity.High fidelity to egg-laying sites.Predation and competition byinvasive fish and bullfrogs. Siltation.Some populations are isolatedand vulnerable to inbreedingand extinction. Livestock grazingremoves cover along stream edges,allowing sediment and excessiveaquatic vegetation to decreasehabitat value. Altered hydrology caneliminate habitat. Loss of beaverpond creation.Impacts of invasive fish andbullfrogs. Documentation ofhistorical sites, and current rangestatus. Feasibility studies onreintroduction at historical sites.Maintain vegetation buffersaround known populations; controlbullfrogs and invasive fish atpriority sites. Carefully managelivestock grazing at occupiedmontane wet meadows. Installsmall predator exclosures overparts of isolated breeding sites.Use results of feasibility studies toguide specific conservation actionsand management decisions forreintroductions.231