Recovering the Chiricahua Leopard Frog for Generations to Come

If you think you hear snoring near a forest stream or wetland in Arizona or New Mexico in the spring or early summer, chances are you’re actually hearing the call of a Chiricahua leopard frog. These olive to dark green frogs—with their charcoal-colored spots, stocky bodies, and distinctive calls—are an iconic species of our Gila PARCA (Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area) and Cochise PARCAs.

Cochise PARCAs: Conserving the Southwest’s Biological Richness

Although southern Arizona is often associated with harsh heat and dry deserts, the area’s biodiversity stands as a testament to a beautifully rich landscape. With flashes of bright orange and yellow, western tanagers fly among mountaintop trees. Cottonwood and desert willow trees grow along lush wetlands. Apache trout swim in cold, high-elevation streams. Montezuma quail roam the pine-oak woodlands. Desert cottontails and Sonoran Desert tortoises traverse the sands and brush of the desert vistas dotted with iconic saguaro cacti. Jaguars even inhabit Cochise County.

In terms of herpetofauna or “herps” (reptiles and amphibians), this area–encompassing the Chihuahuan Desert to the east and the Sonoran Desert to the west and all the habitat in between–is unparalleled. In most US states, we’re focused on protecting between twenty and forty herp species. In Arizona, our two Cochise PARCAs (Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas), Cochise East and West, each boast more than forty herp species.

Heeding the Call: Conservation of the Houston Toad

If we could step back in time to the end of the 19th century on a warm spring evening in eastern Texas, we’d be transported to a picturesque landscape. The countryside was dominated by grasses and short plants, dotted with clumps of trees. This unique and beautiful ecosystem, which has largely been lost, is called Post Oak Savannah. It’s a transition zone between the longleaf systems of the southeast and the grasslands of central Texas.

A spring night in the past would’ve also likely been punctuated by a chorus of the peaceful trills of the Houston toad. Today, the toad’s calls are becoming harder and harder to hear as its populations dwindle. This small toad species (about two or three inches long) with a perpetual frown and warty skin splattered with orange and brown splotches is holding out in the pockets of habitat that remain.

Matthew Rothstein Annual Bioblitz: Community Members Survey Biodiversity & Remember Young Naturalist

The Matthew Rothstein Annual Bioblitz is an opportunity for people to join other members of the community to learn more about the wildlife and plants in their local ecosystem, exchange knowledge, and contribute to a scientific survey. The event began in 2022 and is held annually in or near one of our PARCAs, or Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas, across the US.

The Bioblitz honors the memory of Matthew Rothstein (3/10/00 – 12/23/20), a lover of wildlife and a cherished member of our naturalist community. “This event was designed to connect participants with the natural world, which brought Matthew such great joy, in order to remember him in a way that he would have loved,” said ARC Executive Director JJ Apodaca.

Restoring a Desert Oasis to Bolster Narrow-Headed Garter Snake Populations

Have you slept in a tent alone—a tent
Out under the desert sky—
Where a thousand thousand desert miles
All silent round you lie?—
The dust of the aeons of ages dead,
And the peoples that trampled by?
Have you looked in the desert’s painted cup,
Have you smelled at dawn the wild sage musk,
Have you seen the lightning flashing up
From the ground in the desert dusk?

Combating Invasives to Give Native Species Back Their Competitive Edge

When you visit a new country, chances are you don’t want to eat at the same burger chain you have near your house, buy your souvenirs at a big box store from the US, and go to an American movie. You want to experience the cuisine, hear the language, and see the art that that particular country offers because those things reveal the fabric of a place’s history and culture.

We can use this concept to understand native ecosystems and invasive species. Just like you can find American burger chains around the world, there aren’t many ecosystems left that haven’t been impacted by invasive species. As humans have spread across the globe, we’ve taken all sorts of species with us—from house cats to flowers to reptiles—and put them where they didn’t historically occur. That has caused problems for our native species (the locals, if you will), and we are at risk of homogenizing our ecosystems and losing the icons of our natural diversity.

Conservation in the Land of Enchantment’s Gila PARCA

Deep in the heart of the New Mexico desert, something unexpected arises from the drylands–mountain ranges teeming with life. These sky islands are home to some of the most biodiverse habitats in the world. That’s why ARC has designated one such area in the western part of the state dubbed the Land of Enchantment as a Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Area, or PARCA. It’s known as the Gila (pronounced hee-luh) PARCA. It is located in the area surrounding and including Silver City, New Mexico on the ancestral lands of the Chiricahua (pronounced chr-uh-kaa-wuh) Apache Nation.

The formation of sky islands is a story rooted in the geologic history of our world. Around 20,000 years ago, what’s now the deserts of the southwest flourished with greenery and water. As the climate began to warm, creating the deserts we know today, plant and wildlife species became stranded and isolated in these high-elevation mountain ranges where they continued to evolve in an array of habitats.