Forest Focus Transcript: Episode 40: Frog Fridays

Paul Wade [00:00:13] Welcome to episode 40 of Forest Focus. I'm your host, Paul Wade, with Regional Public Affairs and Communications Office. I want to say let's jump right into this. But talking with Jamie, this has more depth to it than just frog conservation and a silly pun. In this episode, she continues the focus on endangered or threatened species, explaining some of the reasons why they are in this predicament, such as mining and human impact in general, and the laws and response conservation biology specialists enact to reduce those alarming trends. So, let's check in with Jamie Hinrichs and another Echoes from the Understory special. And don't worry if you are listening to this on a day other than Friday, we won't mind.

[soundbite: water flowing & frog croaking]

Jamie Hinrichs [00:01:15] This is the anthem of Frog Fridays. This May-time wildlife survey is held within a stream on the Tahoe National Forest, where foothill yellow-legged frogs lay their eggs. Each outing is part training exercise, part data collection for future habitat restoration and part protection mission. And it is where we will literally get our feet wet in wildlife conservation.

What is putting this and amphibian friend at risk? There are few causes, including the legacy impacts of historical hydraulic mining which degraded their habitat here. The frogs are also threatened by illegal off highway vehicle, or OHV, driving that further erodes this delicate habitat and often crushes the frogs fragile egg masses which blend in with their surroundings. While many areas of national forests are open for off highway driving, a sensitive aquatic ecosystem like this one is not the right spot. That is why the forest closes area to driving in 2010. But whether by accidental or willfulness misunderstanding that it is illegal to do so here, driving continues despite the forest efforts to get the word out. What's a wildlife biologist to do? She gathers her crew and those keen to help on Frog Fridays.

[music starts: cello & piano]

Welcome to episode eight of Echoes from the Understory. This series is all about forest health, what it means, why it matters, and how it is secured. Audio gives us boots-on-the-ground connections with our public lands where we can immerse ourselves in the soundtrack of forest health.

One indicator of forest health is biodiversity, which is the variety of organisms you can find in a forest. Each organism fulfills a role within the forest to keep it functioning. The level of biodiversity that is required for a forest to be healthy and functioning varies by forest type. Researchers and land managers monitor how activities in the forest affect native species so that the negative impacts can be minimized. Documenting the whereabouts of species in the forest, including those that live in water, helps them do this.

In this episode we will follow Lauren Hoyle, the assistant wildlife biologist on the Yuba River Ranger district of the Tahoe National Forest. She will take us into the stream to look for frogs and egg masses. She'll teach us about the foothill yellow-legged frog, demonstrate how she moves egg masses that are at risk of being run over and discuss her vision for long term restoration of this habitat.

[music ends]

We meet Lauren with her wildlife crew outside the Forest Supervisors office in Nevada City, California. Other specialists, including botanists, a forester, a hydrologist and a fisheries biologist, are joining this Frog Friday as an opportunity for cross-training and to assist in the protection mission.

Let's join the huddle where Lauren's giving an overview of what we'll be doing today.

Lauren Hoyle [00:04:25] So we're going to be seeing foothill yellow-legged frogs, which are a listed species in the state of California. And they're about to be a listed species federally.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:04:36] Before we continue, we need a quick detour into environmental law. When it comes to the federal listing of wildlife under the Endangered Species Act, populations of wildlife may be broken down into groups based on geographical, ecological and behavioral factors. Due to these factors, some of these population groups may be in greater decline than others. The technical term for these groups is distinct population segments.

Fast forward a few months from this May-time visit to August 2023 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed two distinct population segments of the foothill yellow-legged frog as endangered and two as threatened. The frogs were meeting during this visit to the Tahoe National Forest are not part of those population groups that have been federally listed, but they are listed as threatened by the state of California under a state environmental law.

It's a lot to take in, but the key takeaway is that throughout California, this frog is in decline. And so continued protection, wherever it is found, is needed, even if not mandated by law. But what are some of these things putting the frogs at risk?

Dan Teater [00:05:42] Where we're going today was highly impacted by hydraulic mining and off highway vehicles, but this frog is hanging on, thanks to active land management and moving egg mass. So, it's good that they're getting protected because over time, they may not be doing very well in that reach.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:06:00] This is Dan Teeter, a fisheries biologist on the Tahoe National Forest, also known as...

Dan Teater [00:06:05] Dan the Fish Man Teater.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:06:07] But back to the briefing.

Lauren Hoyle [00:06:08] We do this every year. This will be our fourth year. The main goal of this is to find egg masses that are at risk and move them. So, what we document is: where is the egg mass and then is it going to be moved? If it's going to be moved, how far away are we moving it? Where are we moving it to? What is the reason that we're moving it? And now we're also going to be recording depth and velocity at the original egg mass sites. The reason for that is we're hoping to understand this system a little bit better for restoration. What do these frogs need? What are they adapted for in terms of what they're laying eggs in? When we do plan restoration, we can know those parameters. These frogs have been pushed to the brink. They are lay their eggs in places that if you went to a healthier stream, you would not see.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:07:05] Lauren is referring to the shallow pools in this eroded stream, but also to the tire ruts from illegal driving that fill with water. The tire ruts are dangerous spots for egg masses because where one driver went before, another is likely to drive again. And the egg masses are not something that the uninitiated eye is likely to spot.

Lauren Hoyle [00:07:24] Those ruts are some of the lowest points in the stream, and it actually attracts the frogs to breed. The first week that we were out there, we saw two egg masses just sitting in a rut on a Friday. By Monday, they were gone, and you could find tiny little remnants. We see the frogs sitting underneath their egg masses for multiple days following laying. So, we're probably seeing increased adult mortality as well. Really big impacts.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:07:55] We'll encounter egg masses in harm's way and actions to protect them at our next stop, the stream.

[music interlude: guitar]

Lauren Hoyle [00:08:11] We are out here today because this area is known locally to be a very popular OHV spot, even though it has been closed because of the biological issues. People continue to come down here illegally on dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, jeeps and big trucks and drive all around the creek. There is an endangered frog, state listed, that lives in the creek and breeds here. And because of the degradation of this system, there's very few pools. The trucks create some ruts, and the frogs will actually breed in those ruts because it's all that's available. Those ruts tend to be driven over again and again. And so, it puts the frogs and the eggs at risk. There's an OHV coming right now...

Jamie Hinrichs [00:09:02] The driver did not come directly across our path. So, Lauren did not get a chance to explain that driving is not permitted here. Again, many areas of the forest are great spots for this activity, just not here. This area is closed to driving because it is both home to a species at risk and because driving compounds the erosion from the legacy of historical hydraulic mining.

Dan Teater [00:09:24] We're in the nucleus of the gold rush. Millions and millions of dollars in gold were taken from this site right up here. We see higher densities of foothill yellow-legged frogs and rainbow trout in reaches that aren't impacted by dams or diversions or legacy hydraulic mining like we see here today.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:09:42] Hydraulic mining was used extensively in the late 1800s during California's gold rush. It involved shooting jets of water at high pressure to dislodge rocks and sediment from hillsides in the hopes that they contained gold. This stream within the forest has continued to erode over the decades due to the legacy of this manner of mining. But we are not here to look for gold.

Lauren Hoyle [00:10:04] We are looking for frogs and egg masses.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:10:08] There is a technique to looking for frogs and their egg masses, and both are well camouflaged in their environment. Catching a frog requires a patient, tactical approach.

Lauren Hoyle [00:10:19] My net, I'm swinging back and forth on either bank and trying to flush any frogs that I didn't see with my eye because they're incredibly cryptic and they look like rocks. Its entire motto is, "I'm a rock."

Jamie Hinrichs [00:10:34] But Lauren has, what the crew calls, "frog eye". Using her refined observation skills, she has spotted a frog. She trains a crew how to catch these well-camouflaged critters that are able to both leap and swim.

Lauren Hoyle [00:10:48] So I'm going to put my net below my frog. And then ... I'm going to come from here ....

[Unidentified] [00:10:57] Nice!

Lauren Hoyle [00:10:57] And catch my frog. Okay?

Jamie Hinrichs [00:11:01] Now we get to meet this fine fellow up close. And the frog is held with pointer finger and thumb wrapped gently around its hip, the smallest part of the frog. The loose circular hold over the hips keeps the frog from using its legs to hop out of hand.

Lauren Hoyle [00:11:16] He has a thin hip right here. That's the smallest part of your frog. So that's where you hold your frog. And that way you don't crush it. Females are significantly larger than males. So, this is a male frog. And you can tell because look at his fat thumb and his kind of beefy arm. He's got a beefy arm. 

Jamie Hinrichs [00:11:36] While we might expect more ribbits than this from frequency and meaning of vocalizations vary by the species.

Lauren Hoyle [00:11:44] So it'll let out a release call that says, "Hey, let go of me." And it's something that males say to males, that says, "Hey, I'm a male." Or a female will say to a male that says, "Hey, I've already bred."

Jamie Hinrichs [00:11:52] Perhaps sensing that the lesson in frog biology was complete, this frog politely requests to be released back into the water.

[soundbite: frog ribbit]

Lauren Hoyle [00:12:01] Can you hear it? You want to release your frog downstream of where you plan on going.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:12:09] Now that we've been introduced to the frog themselves, we can turn our attention to the larger purpose of this mission: spotting and assessing the risk of egg masses. And we found some.

Lauren Hoyle [00:12:20] What you'll notice is that all of these egg masses are directly in the sun. They need that heat to develop.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:12:25] It is difficult to describe how the egg masses. "Black blobs"? But the texture of the egg masses is easier to pinpoint.

Lauren Hoyle [00:12:33] As long as everybody doesn't have any sunscreen or bug spray on their hands, I'm going to have you guys touch an egg so you can feel the consistency of it. Eggs in different environment can be covered in algae and silt, and then you can barely see them. And so, I always teach the crew to feel it and to understand the difference in that texture so that they can really understand if they're touching algae or eggs. Additionally, different species have different consistencies. These are going to feel a lot like Jell-O.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:13:06] Trainees in egg mass identification weigh in on the texture.

Chelsea [00:13:10] Jell-O, like she said.

Ryan [00:13:14] They're so soft, I guess smooth. Very Jell-O-y, kind of feels like a really soft balloon.

Amy [00:13:20] Oh ... huh ...It's slimy. It's like Jell-O.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:13:26] Now that we've sighted and touched some egg masses, the next step is to decide if they are at risk and hence need to be moved to a safer part of the stream. This involves a mixture of reading the color and impressions of the streambed, looking for evidence of past driving, and part of it involves adopting the perspective of a driver.

Lauren Hoyle [00:13:44] To determine if an egg mass is going to be at high risk, we look at where is the egg mass? Where are people driving? Is it likely to be run over? For example, over there where you saw the actual ruts and you can see that everyone is going right there because it's the only place in the channel that you can cross, 100%, I don't even have to think about it, we're moving those eggs.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:14:09] Before Lauren moves the eggs, she looks for a secure spot for their relocation.

Lauren Hoyle [00:14:14] I'm looking for an area that's going to be safe for the eggs. Something that has no flow and a similar depth to what they're at, and some sunshine. So, I'm thinking I'm going to move it behind that log. Yeah, I think that's my new little egg nursery.

[soundbite: steps walking in deep water]

Lauren Hoyle [00:14:45] So we're going to move these eggs. And we have picked out our new spot. It's behind the log up there. You want to get some water in your bin.

[soundbite: filling plastic bin with water]

So, then you figure out what your egg mass is stuck to by slowly moving the rocks. I figured out what rock this is on. So, I'm going to lift it out of the water while supporting the egg mass and put it back into the water in the bin.

[soundbite: water dripping]

Then we walk delicately.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:15:33] This is a gentle process during which Lauren moves slowly through the water while carrying the bin that contains a small amount of water and the egg mass attached to a rock. She is careful not to jostle the eggs and sometimes floats the bin on the surface of the stream to better accomplish that objective. Until she gets to the new location, which is about 20 feet away.

Lauren Hoyle [00:15:54] I am going to lift the rock and the egg and I'm going to put it back in the water. And then I'm going to place it. I don't want to put it too deep because I want it to still develop, but I also don't want it to be at risk for stranding. I look and see how it looks like it's being influenced by the flow.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:16:17] If the flow is too swift at the new location, there is a danger that the egg masses might come apart. But Lauren has a solution for that risk factor. She builds a frog fortress, or, as she puts it...

Lauren Hoyle [00:16:28] Rock corral.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:16:30] This attentive selection and arrangement of rocks

[soft clinking of rocks under narration]

to build this small shelter, to hold the egg mass and protect it from the stronger flows of the stream, is calming. The gentle movement of hands and the therapeutic slow motion of stones has a transfixing effect on us observers. There is a lot of thought and documentation that goes into decisions to move egg masses for this species at-risk. Field notes include the number of egg masses moved and how far they had to be moved from their original location. It is important to note that the egg masses are only moved by experts with a permit to do so, like Lauren.

Lauren Hoyle [00:17:07] It is a permit that is issued to me from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that allows me to move these eggs for the benefit of the species.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:17:16] Additional data the crew is collecting on Frog Fridays -- such as depth and speed of the water where the frogs chose to lay their eggs originally -- is essential to the plans Lauren, Forest Service staff and partners are developing to protect the frogs. This includes continued efforts to mitigate the illegal driving that takes place here by putting up signs and moving boulders to block entry points to the stream. But Lauren is also starting plans for a larger multi-year project to restore the stream system. Example aspects include...

Lauren Hoyle [00:17:47] Dropping a lot of trees. Restoring woody debris. Things like that would be hard to drive around and planting native plants.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:17:57] Lauren shares a bit more about the restoration vision. As we walk towards the final survey location for the day.

Lauren Hoyle [00:18:03] How do you restore something that has 20 plus feet of deposited gravels on top of an old stream that that has flashfloods, that has no vegetation? I'm unbelievably excited to learn and study both the species and how to restore habitat. But it's also something I feel a lot of passion for, it gets people excited about amphibians.

Jamie Hinrichs [00:18:29] In habitats in need of repair like this one, it can be easy to fixate on all that is wrong. The lasting impacts of historical, unsustainable mining and the ongoing threats posed by illegal driving dominate the scene. But spending time with wildlife experts who are working to protect and restore the species that live here can expand our view. With their way of seeing things, we can detect what is damaged, but also see the good that remains in addition to future recovery. Here at our last location is in a deep pool near some fast-moving water, Lauren and her crew lead Anna help us take hold of this perspective as they answer our question: what words come to mind when you look at this habitat.

Anna [00:19:12] "Unique". It's unlike any other stream that we survey or do anything on, on this whole forest. And then, with all the restoration planning and talk, "possibilities".

Lauren Hoyle [00:19:21] I would describe it like a post-apocalyptic book. It needs help. It's holding on and there's such biodiversity down here. I really like the Anna's "possibilities" because I'm really looking forward to being able to restore it.

[music starts: cello & piano]

Jamie Hinrichs [00:19:40] This episode was produced by me, Jamie Hinrichs. Theme music is from Pixabay. Keep your eyes and ears out for the next episode of Echoes from the Understory.

[music ends]

Paul Wade [00:20:06] Another gentle reminder to off-road enthusiasts to understand the reasoning certain areas are closed and to adhere to posted signs. Also, another great reminder to find those local OHV clubs we partner with. Test your articulation, get your rig kicks the right way and do it with folks who know the legal trails and have tons of recovery gear. Thanks to all of our restoration frog friends.

And as usual, for those that are curious to learn more, go over to the shows description page and click on the links. Thanks for listening. And if you're interested in sharing or listening to more episodes, search "Forest Focus Podcast", or look for us wherever you get your podcasts. And if you have questions or suggestions for a show, email us at sm.fs.r5ffpodcast@USDA.gov.

Until next time, enjoy your public lands. Please remember to recreate responsibly, know before you go and learn what you can do to prevent wildfires. Take care.

This podcast is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and the USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.