Oregon Spotted Frog Rearing
In early 2009, we began an unprecedented partnership with the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Group to rear endangered Oregon spotted frogs. The Oregon spotted frog (OSF; Rana pretiosa) is a state endangered and federally threatened species. This warm water marsh specialist has vanished from over 70% of its historic range. Under the direction of Senior Research Scientist Dr. Marc Hayes, incarcerated technicians and corrections staff at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center worked with Evergreen graduate students and other rearing institutions to augment the amphibian’s populations in the Puget Sound region. This was SPP’s first Ecological Conservation program working with an endangered animal; as far as we know, it was the first prison program of its kind.
A very young frog (you can still see part of its tadpole-tail wrapped behind one of its feet) sits on the finger of a frog technician at Cedar Creek Corrections Center's rearing facility. Photo by Sadie Gilliom.
SPP's Emily Passarelli smiles adoringly at her bin of Oregon spotted frogs just before she walks them to the water's edge for release. Photo by Joslyn Rose Trivett.
An Oregon spotted frog technician releases a near-adult frog in the rearing program at Cedar Creek Corrections Center. SPP joins many other organizations as a part of the Oregon Spotted Frog Recovery Group, and has shown that inmate technicians can be exceptionally skilled in caring for and handling rare and endangered species. Photo by Cyril Ruoso.
Inmates and staff at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center embrace science and sustainability as part of their mission; for this technician, that means devoting himself to "frog maintenance". Photo by Benj Drummond.
Oregon spotted frog in a rearing tank at Cedar Creek Corrections Center. Photo by Matthew Williams of the New York Times.
From the start, incarcerated individuals in the program proved to be fully capable Ecological Conservation technicians. They followed animal husbandry protocols with care and diligence. They achieved high rates of survival and reared large, mature frogs. The support of prison staff and student coordinators was also critical, and their combined efforts brought many Oregon spotted frogs into the world: in six seasons, technicians, staff, and students raised and released 879 frogs to wetland sites!
The program operated for six seasons between 2009 and 2015.
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