Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow-legged Frog

The Sierra Nevada Mountain Yellow-legged Frog has declined sharply from historical levels. This decline is due in part to stocking of non-native game fish over the course of many decades. In many areas, agencies have discontinued the stocking of non-native fish species. Unfortunately, a second, much more dramatic decline is currently underway. The amphibian Chytrid fungus has arrived in the Sierras and it is having devastating impact on Sierra Nevada amphibians. At one time, Sierra Nevada mountain yellow-legged frogs were considered to be the most common vertebrate in the Sierras. Now, it persists in large numbers only a few locations. I had the privilege to visit one such location and photograph the frogs. As I did so, I couldn't help but think that this opportunity was fleeting and that one day these frogs would be gone.