American bullfrogs are an invasive non-native species in Arizona and have contributed to the declines of many native aquatic species including the federally threatened Chiricahua leopard frog and northern Mexican gartersnake. The high reproductive output and dispersal potential of bullfrogs makes landscape-scale eradication and control logistically challenging. Nevertheless, previous management efforts have successfully eradicated bullfrogs in several areas of southeast Arizona which has greatly facilitated increases in Chiricahua leopard frog distribution and abundance. These bullfrog-free regions are maintained by intensively monitoring adjacent buffer zones where any immigrating bullfrogs are immediately removed. This project will preserve these conservation gains by continuing to monitor these buffer zones and remove any detected bullfrogs. We also monitor Chiricahua leopard frog metapopulations and assist with Chiricahua leopard frog translocations. This project is a collaboration between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Arizona, Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. We will use data collected during these management efforts to provide information to better guide bullfrog control and Chiricahua leopard frog recovery.
