Isn’t that funny? It turns out that in addition to fighting fires and reducing flooding and raising the water table, beavers also provide essential habitat for the endangered Oregon spotted frog.

Trout, Beavers, Drought and a ‘Precious’ Frog

An adult Oregon spotted frog basking in the sun in wetland habitat in the Klamath Basin of Oregon.

Historically, the range of the Oregon spotted frog overlapped with that of the North American beaver. Beaver numbers in the Pacific Northwest declined dramatically due to the fur trade in the late 1700s and early 1800’s, as did the ecosystem services they provide. Beaver dams and associated ponds retain water in landscapes that otherwise would not hold it. Warmer water along pond edges promotes development of frog eggs and tadpoles and provides adult frogs with feeding and basking areas. Radio telemetry studies suggest Oregon spotted frogs use other beaver-created features like channels and dams as shelter during the winter. Mimicking these features, or enhancing remnant channels and dams, are possible solutions for improving water retention, increasing shelter opportunities and providing additional habitat.

Isn’t that weird. Its honestly like we are making things up that beavers save. Like we’re just pulling crazy threatened species from out of a hat and saying BEAVERS can help that!

But it’s real. So real that USGS is hoping that acting like beavers will bring them back.

The Oregon spotted frog’s scientific name is Rana pretiosa, which translates to “precious frog” in Latin. Precious things are often rare, which is the case with the Oregon spotted frog across parts of its range. It was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2014. Although several threats are responsible for the Oregon spotted frog’s decline, loss of the wetland habitat it needs to survive is at the top of the list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s national report on wetlands status and trends reveals nationwide losses. In the Klamath Basin of Oregon and California, it’s estimated that 50-90% of the Oregon spotted frog’s wetland habitat has been lost due to habitat modification and prolonged drought.

Thirteen years of annual sampling revealed that survival of adult Oregon spotted frogs was almost 20% higher at reaches with excavated remnant beaver ponds compared to reference sites. Satellite images revealed that vegetation at restored sites stayed green later into the summer- an indicator of improved water retention. One promising clue that restoration of this type can work was the fact that breeding was concentrated in two excavated beaver ponds relative to other site

That’s so weird. It’s almost like saying these annoying beavers really matter. We can hardly believe it so we have to keep researching it over and over.

But we keep getting the same results. Go Figure.