BLM (Arizona), Las Cienegas NCA FROG Restoration and Education Project TFO

Description of Program and/or Project a. Background: The broadest goal of the FROG Project is to develop and implement novel, large-scale, highly collaborative approaches to restoration of native aquatic biodiversity in the arid Western United States while engaging the public, the local community and key stakeholders. The aquatic vertebrate fauna in perennial waters of the American Southwest, consisting of gartersnakes, turtles, ranid frogs, and fishes, is among the most globally threatened of any of the worlds biogeographical ecological assemblages. Las Cienegas National Conservation Area and the surrounding area, with its relatively intact riparian ecosystems, is a key location of focus for this effort. The FROG Project has had significant success in working towards this broad goal and the specific objectives identified below. The project has initiated and support large-scale recovery of threatened and endangered species in the region. Additionally, substantial community involvement have led to functional working relationships and increased awareness of the need for species conservation in this area. b. Objectives: 1) Build public agency partnerships for native frog conservation in the study region. 2) Engage the public in aquatic biodiversity conservation. 3) Establish and demonstrate methods for landscape level conservation of federally listed native ranid frogs, gartersnakes, and fishes inhabiting natural and human-modified environments encompassing major aquatic ecosystems in both valley and mountain settings. 4) Eradicate threatening non-native populations of bullfrogs, crayfish, and fishes.