Nearly 400 endangered northern leopard frogs raised at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park are now back in the wild at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Grant County.  For four years, Northwest Trek has received northern leopard frog egg masses in the spring from the one remaining wild population at the Potholes Reservoir, collected by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists. Keepers at Northwest Trek then raise the frogs in a controlled environment, monitoring the overall condition of their tanks, including water temperature, pH levels, good bacteria, nitrogen cycle, and oxygen levels. They also protect the frogs from …

State wildlife officials moved nearly 200 endangered northern leopard frog tadpoles raised at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville to their new home at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Washington in late May. The tadpoles will continue growing in secured rearing pens until they are mature enough to hop into the wild alongside 200 additional mature frogs later this summer. “Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is proud to work with our public and private partners on the northern leopard frog project to restore the wild population,” said Curator Marc Heinzman. “It’s incredible to watch them grow from egg masses …