Colorado’s boreal toads are in trouble. As deadly chytrid fungus continues to spread from wetland to wetland, they need our help if they’re going to survive. In collaboration with GARNA and Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver Zoo is taking two conservation actions to bring boreal toads back from the brink:
Breeding + Release. To prevent boreal toad populations from completely disappearing, Denver Zoo is using animal care expertise to breed these native amphibians at Denver Zoo and then release the tadpoles into the wild. This will also give wild populations more of a chance to build genetic resistance to chytrid.
Community Science. To save the boreal toad, Denver Zoo needs to understand how it’s doing in Colorado, and that’s where you come in! In the summer months, volunteer community scientists play a key role in boreal toad conservation by monitoring historic toad habitat. This data will help by identifying future sites for wild reintroduction and locating unknown populations (potentially even ‘super-toads’ that may have natural resistance to chytrid fungus).
GARNA is helping Denver Zoo recruit volunteers to participate in guided hikes to learn how to monitor toad habitat. The locations monitored on each date are:
Sun, July 24 Grassey Lake (Difficult hike)
Mon, July 25 Tunnel Lake (Difficult hike)
Tues, Jul 26 Hancock Lake (Easy/Moderate hike)
Weds, Aug 10 Bear Lake & Galena Lake near Leadville (Moderate Hike)
More information on meeting locations and a packing list will be provided upon registration.
Please keep in mind that these hikes will involve long days at high elevation plus bushwhacking through thick vegetation.
For more information about this site and others, check out the Target Wetland Factsheet.
To look at the route to this site (and others) check out the resources on Gaia GPS.
All volunteer resources can be found here in the Resources Directory.
