Can Clusters of Human-Constructed Ponds in the Arizona Desert Save a Threatened Frog?
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WHITE MOUNTAINS, Ariz.—As the warming climate drops less rain on the White Mountains and the thirsty atmosphere and soils suck up more of what does fall, the Chiricahua leopard frog has been threatened from all sides.
The dark green, stocky frog sporting raised charcoal-colored spots once announced its presence throughout streams and wetlands in Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico with a snore-like croak. But drought has dried out many of its habitats, while ash from wildfires has smothered others. Invasive species like bullfrogs and crayfish have disrupted the frogs’ food supply.
And a deadly fungal disease that is wiping out amphibians around the world, chytridiomycosis, has further slashed their numbers. Today, the frog is found at fewer than 80 sites and is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Preserving the one remaining population in the White Mountain Grasslands Wildlife Area requires making water appear in the desert and stay there, said Thomas Biebighauser, a wetlands engineer and founder of Wetland Restoration and Training LLC, as he watched a crew of volunteers prepare to build a pond. “Wherever you live on Earth, you’re going to get rain sometime,” he said.
“What happens to that rain is it flows off the surface of the ground, which eventually enters a stream, then eventually enters a river and goes to the ocean, which is a wonderful cycle. However, Arizona is becoming drier and drier … so we have now developed the techniques for making water in the desert.” The site is one of six under construction, taking what were dried out cattle tanks to create new ponds to provide a collection of habitats for the frog. Since being listed under the ESA in 2002, which led to a recovery plan being put in place in 2007, the Chiricahua leopard frog has seen a threefold increase in habitat sites.
But the changing climate continues to deal it setbacks. Case in point: The habitat restoration project in the White Mountains was supposed to occur in 2024, but wildfires forced its delay. The project is not just about saving a charismatic amphibian. But any additional surface water permanence on the landscape is going to be beneficial across the board,” said Becca Cozad, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy’s (ARC) Southwest program manager, as she surveyed the landscape around her at the base camp for the project.
“There’s not much water out here right now.”
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