And you think your commute is hard…

By Dave Adamshick, Friends of Trees Communications Specialist

It's a labor of love for volunteers who shuttle Northern red legged frogs from Forest Park across perilous Highway 30 to the frogs' wetland breeding grounds near the Willamette River. Photo: ODFW
It’s a labor of love for volunteers who shuttle Northern red legged frogs from Forest Park across perilous Highway 30 to the frogs’ wetland breeding grounds near the Willamette River. Photo: ODFW

Carpool lanes, bike lanes, crosswalks… of all the lanes you’ll see on roads, a frog lane isn’t one of them. But for the Northern red-legged frog, the need is essential. This amphibian is found inland near the Pacific Ocean from Northern California to British Columbia. In Portland, they make their home in Forest Park most of the year. Living in the dense vegetation of the Park, they feast on tasty insects and snails, enjoying protected habitat and a sanctuary from human hazards. It’s a near perfect idyll, until the call of spring and the biological urge to reproduce send the frogs in search of cool waters.

The biggest obstacle between the rolling hills of the Park and the wetlands close to the Willamette River is not a predator like an owl or the cuisses de grenouilles connoisseur—it’s Highway 30. After a number of frog casualties, local residents teamed up with members from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Forest Park Conservancy to help this species cross the road in safety via the Frog Taxi.

The Frog Taxi isn’t yellow, black and white or something they need to hop madly to hail—it’s a 5-gallon bucket. Volunteers catch the frogs before they reach the highway, carefully place them in a bucket and then drive them safely to their breeding grounds. An equal and opposite reaction happens when the frogs start to hop back to safety. In late January, 44 volunteers moved 606 red legs up and down the hill.

We salute our friends at the Forest Park Conservancy, all the volunteers who’ve stayed up nights, gone out in the rain and dedicated their time. Individually these are small acts of environmentalism, but in totality they help ensure the safety and survival of a species that’s on the state list of concern (a less critical designation than endangered, but it’s a species that needs to be monitored). While the frog’s breeding season is winding down this year, you can keep track of all the ecological and conservation efforts at forestparkconservancy.org or keep track of their doings on the go via their Facebook page.