Biodiversity
The Nat Makes Conservation Possible
The red-legged frog eggs were translocated to two protected locations in San Diego and Riverside Counties .
The San Diego Natural History Museum ( The Nat ) has been studying the ecosystems of San Diego County and Baja California for over 100 years . Their goal ? To ensure this corner of the continent remains healthy and enjoyable - for many species - long into the future . You could say their research is what makes conservation possible . One recent success story is the return of California red-legged frogs to San Diego County .
The California State Amphibian once ranged from northern California down into Baja California . Red-legged frogs thrived in mountainous ponds until they made it onto the menus of gold miners in the 1800s , and displaced by invasive bullfrogs in the 1900s . Other exotic species , fungal disease , drought and habitat destruction continued to eat away at their populations . By 1970 , the California red-legged frog was extinct in San Diego County .
But in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir , just a few hours south of the border , these frogs were hanging on . Yet only 10
84 GBSAN . COM | JULY 2022 populations remained on the peninsula , all with fewer than 50 adults . In 2018 , The Nat teamed up with Mexican conservation organization Fauna del Noroeste ( FAUNO ) to build new ponds for the frogs .
Once they had settled into their new , more resilient habitat , the time came to reintroduce them to southern California . In 2020 , the team partnered with organizations and government agencies on both sides of the border to translocate freshly laid eggs from Baja to ponds in San Diego and Riverside Counties .
The first-ever translocation mission happened in March 2020 . Hundreds of frog eggs stored in a cooler were helicoptered out of the mountains , driven across the border to their new homes on protected land , and released .
Spring 2022 marked the third round of translocation missions , and each year has been more successful than the last . The next milestone will come when the relocated frogs mature and begin to breed on their own . To learn more about The Nat ’ s research and conservation work , visit www . sdnat . org / science .