Endangered Species Bulletin articles from March 2008

Endangered Species Bulletin archives from March 2008

The global amphibian crisis.
March 22, 2008... A crisis of enormous proportions faces the world's amphibian species. At present, we estimate that about one-third of the more than 6,000 known amphibian species are at risk of extinction. This likely underestimates the real number since data...

Project golden frog.
March 22, 2008... The brilliantly colored golden frogs native to the cloud forests of Panama are culturally significant to the people of that nation, as revered as the bald eagle is in the United States. They have long been considered lucky by Panamanians, who...

Chiricahua leopard frog inches towards recovery.
March 22, 2008... Recovery--it is the most important part of endangered species conservation. For most species, considerable funding and staff resources are needed to overcome years of population declines and habitat degradation. Despite the limited resources...

Giving leopard frogs a head start.
March 22, 2008... Despite being one of the most arid states, Arizona is home to a wide variety of amphibians. There are 25 native species as well as a few introduced species. Unfortunately, populations of many of our native amphibians have declined dramatically....

Building conservation partnerships with zoos.
March 22, 2008... More than 143 million people visit Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited facilities every year, a number greater than the combined attendance at all professional sports events in this country. Recent studies show that after a visit...

Conserving Missouri's hellbenders.
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is the largest species of salamander native to North America. It is represented by two subspecies, the eastern hellbender (C. a. alleganiensis), which ranges from...

The Ozark hellbender: out from under a rock.
March 22, 2008... What lurks below the clear waters of Ozark streams? Well, it's not pretty, but it is pretty cool. The Ozark hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi), which can reach a length of about 2 feet (0.6 meters), is one of the largest...

Conserving Columbia spotted frogs in Nevada.
March 22, 2008... Columbia spotted frogs (Rana luteiventris) in the Great Basin of Nevada have been a candidate for Endangered Species Act protection since 1993. Most populations in this region are small and highly fragmented, and are highly vulnerable to...

A leap forward for the mountain yellow-legged frog.(restoration)
March 22, 2008... Fifty years ago, mountain yellow-legged frogs (Rana muscosa) basked along the rocky banks of creeks and lakes in the mountains of California and Nevada. But scientists around the world have noticed sharp declines in amphibians, and the mountain...

Ranchers restore amphibian-friendly ponds.(-)
March 22, 2008... East of the San Francisco Bay area, in the arid hills of California's inland Coast Ranges, ponds have become magnets for wildlife, large and small. Two small but notable inhabitants of these ponds are the California red-legged frog (Rana...

Moving quickly saves a breeding season.(California red-legged frog and their habitats)
March 22, 2008... On December 7, 2006, Robert Fisher of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) notified me of a biological emergency at San Francisquito Canyon in the Angeles National Forest. Several pools created there by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to assist in...

Evaluating amphibian abnormalities on wildlife refuges.(Report)
March 22, 2008... In 1995, a group of middle school students in Minnesota discovered large numbers of frogs with misshapen, extra, or missing limbs. Their find focused national attention and concern on amphibian abnormalities. In recent years, scientists have...

Partnerships to conserve amphibian habitat.(PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE)(Partners Program of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service)
March 22, 2008... Amphibians are highly sensitive to changes in their environment, and are thus regarded as a top indicator species. They are vulnerable to invasive species, pollution, and other threats attributed to global climate change, such as changes in...

ARMI detects what isn't always obvious.(USGS RESEARCH NEWS)(Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative)
March 22, 2008... The story of world-wide declines of amphibian populations has become familiar to many, though the fact that these declines are greater than those documented for any other animal, including birds and mammals, may not be. Amphibians are...

The scientist within us all.(CHILDREN IN NATURE)(wildlife conservation)
March 22, 2008... Virtually all of us in the field of wildlife conservation owe our respective career paths to select adults who took time out of their busy lives to kindle our spark of interest in wildlife. If we reflect, we can remember their impact. I...

Introducing students to endangered species.(CHILDREN IN NATURE)
March 22, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Biologists in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Arizona Ecological Services Office (AESO) teamed up with Thunderbird High School in Phoenix to assist with a pilot curriculum that introduces urban public high...

Rulemaking actions.
March 22, 2008... Since January 1, 2008, the Fish and Wildlife Service has announced the following proposed and final rules in accordance with the Endangered Species Act: Final Rules Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves Delisted The gray wolf (Canis...

Contacts.(Directory)
March 22, 2008... CONTACTS WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICE Washington, D.C. 20240 H. Dale Hall, Director Bryan Arroyo, Assistant Director for Endangered Species Claire Cassel, Chief, Division of Partnerships and Outreach ...

Box score.(endangered species)(Table)
March 22, 2008... BOX SCORE Listings and Recovery Plans as of May 13, 2008 ENDANGERED THREATENED GROUP U.S. FOREIGN U.S. FOREIGN MAMMALS 69 256 12 20...