SEATTLE (AP) — The population of rare Oregon spotted frogs in Washington took a leap forward with the release of 1,200 of the amphibians Thursday in a protected wetland at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The frogs had been raised from eggs in a state Fish and Wildlife program using the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park at Eatonville, Oregon Zoo in Portland and the Cedar Creek Corrections Center at Littlerock.
Washington declared the Oregon spotted frog an endangered species in 1997. Its natural range from Northern California to British Columbia has diminished from loss of habitat and the invasion of the non-native bullfrog.
The Dailman Lake area at Lewis-McChord is one of the largest relatively intact wetlands remaining in the Puget Sound lowlands.
