BEND, Ore. — A federal judge will soon hear arguments on whether to order a change in water management to benefit the Oregon spotted frog.
The Bulletin reports that WaterWatch of Oregon has filed a lawsuit saying the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and state irrigation districts are creating a cycle of flooding and drying along the Deschutes River banks that hurts the frogs.
WaterWatch has asked for a preliminary injunction on that activity to protect the frog, which was listed as a threatened species in 2014.
The judge is expected to hear arguments in Eugene Tuesday but isn’t expected to make a decision that day.
The Bureau and irrigation districts have argued that the frogs have adapted to the flow changes in the basin for decades and don’t face any immediate harm.
