John Heil

“ Success would be enough adults breeding and producing eggs that we are able to move them to other sites and get them stabilized – get them to persist back on the landscape. That would mean we are turning the tide on habitat degradation. We want to get to a situation of resiliency where they are self-sufficient. I was out this past fall and seeing metamorphs for the first time in San Diego County since 1974 was amazing. There were probably condors more recently in San Diego than California red-legged frogs. ”

“ Anny’s ponds were mature enough that they were producing enough eggs for harvesting, Clark had been restoring the ponds in San Diego (for the pond turtle) with help from the United States Geological Survey, and we all met at the museum determined to do something about it.”
“The effort to reintroduce red-legged frogs in Southern California is the culmination of decades of scientific research, land protection and habitat restoration,” said Susan North, stewardship manager with The Nature Conservancy. ”

“ Photo courtesy of J.A. Soriano/Fauna del Noroeste | Image Details
“I can't emphasize enough how key they are to this program and how generous they are with their time and expertise,” said Winchell of Peralta and Valdez. “They’re phenomenal international partners. Without them we wouldn’t have a project. It's that simple.” ”