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American bullfrogs, native to eastern North America, were introduced to waterways globally, and by the early 1900s established populations in the southwestern U.S. Bullfrogs were introduced into stock tanks, and readily dispersed and colonized the limited aquatic systems found in southern Arizona, including slow moving streams and creeks, and other aquatic systems with suitable habitat. Bullfrogs commonly outcompete and predate on native amphibians like the Chiricahua leopard frog, listed as federally threatened under the Endangered Species Act. This webinar will detail how a collaborative team has implemented bullfrog removal at a landscape-level across southern Arizona to increase recovery opportunities for Chiricahua leopard frogs. Components of the project include bullfrog distribution and abundance assessments, systematic eradication from prioritized sites, and establishment of buffer zones to prevent re-invasion.
About the Speaker:
David Hall (MS, University of Arizona) has been working with Arizona aquatic reptiles and amphibians for over 40 years. He began working with Arizona turtles in 1980. This work resulted in him documenting massive declines in Arizona ranid frog populations and working on habitat restoration for Arizona leopard frogs and bullfrog removal in 1997 with Phil Rosen and Cecil Schwalbe. Since this time, he has been involved in several successful bullfrog eradication efforts throughout southern Arizona. He currently is working with multiple agencies on several bullfrog removal projects in southeastern Arizona.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://arizona.zoom.us/j/84782595120