Last summer, botany survey teams at Bonaparte Meadows took a short break from the plants and turned their attention to the frogs.
What they found was exciting: Columbia Spotted Frogs.
These beautiful wetland frogs are rarely found far from water. They live in still-water habitats, streams, creeks, ponds, and wet meadows, and are often seen basking along the edges of wetlands or resting on floating debris to warm themselves in the sun.
At Bonaparte Meadows, their presence tells us something important. This landscape is not only a rare peat wetland. It is also living habitat.
A Frog Closely Tied to Water
Columbia Spotted Frogs are largely aquatic, which means they depend on wet places for much of their lives. They usually stay within about 0.6 miles of their breeding pond, although movements of up to four miles have been recorded.
For frogs living in isolated ponds, movement can be risky or even impossible. If there is no safe wetland connection nearby, they may never leave. That makes the protection of known habitat especially important.
Bonaparte Meadows offers the kind of wet, connected habitat these frogs need.
A Species That Needs Attention
Columbia Spotted Frogs are declining in the Columbia Basin, primarily because of habitat loss. That makes the discovery of this species at Bonaparte Meadows especially meaningful.
In Washington, Columbia Spotted Frogs are recognized in several important conservation categories. They are listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife State Wildlife Action Plan. They are also considered a Priority Species through WDFW’s Priority Habitat and Species Program, meaning they require protection for their survival.
They are also a Candidate Species in Washington, which means they are being considered for possible listing as endangered, threatened, or sensitive. In the Colville Tribes Natural Resources Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment, they are considered highly and/or extremely vulnerable.
Taken together, these designations point to the same thing: this is a species we still have a chance to support before further decline.
A Living Wetland
This rare landscape supports water, plants, wildlife, and the many living relationships that depend on wet places in the Okanogan Highlands. For Columbia Spotted Frogs, protecting habitat is one of the most direct ways we can help.
The Columbia Spotted Frogs found at Bonaparte Meadows are a reminder that conservation often begins with paying attention. A break from surveying plants becomes a wildlife observation. A quiet wetland edge becomes a clue. A frog basking in the sun becomes part of a much larger story.
We love a good frog.
And we especially love knowing that Bonaparte Meadows still holds the wetland life this species needs.
Click here to learn more about Bonaparte Meadows.
