Contributed Article/Courtesy AZGFD
SPINGERVILLE – Chiricahua leopard frogs will have a new place to call home this spring as a new project restores freshwater ponds in the White Mountains.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department partnered with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC) and Wetland Restoration and Training, LLC to renovate six ponds at the Department’s White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area located near Springerville, Ariz.
With the help of federal and state forestry crews and a team of dedicated volunteers, the group deepened the ponds and added aquatic-safe liners, which will prevent seepage and create a permanent water source for the Chiricahua leopard frog– an imperiled amphibian species that is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Major threats to the Chiricahua leopard frog include habitat loss, drought, and competition from invasive species like American bullfrogs.
The ponds will also have the added benefit of providing water to a variety of species living in the area’s grassland plains and rolling hills, including American pronghorn, Gunnison’s prairie dogs, and burrowing owls.
