Thousands of endangered tadpoles released in Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance (DZCA) and Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) have released over 2,200 endangered boreal toad tadpoles into the wild.

The partnership's efforts began in 2021 as an initiative to boost the state's population of boreal toads, a species that is endangered in Colorado and New Mexico. The initiative began with releasing 95 adult toads from their Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility in Alamosa after six months of preparing them for life in the wild.

On June 20, teams from DZCA and CPW went into the wetlands near Creed to release the tadpoles in the hopes of eventually creating an established population of the rare amphibians in the state.

CPW says the boreal toad was once commonly found in the Southern Rocky Mountains, but has experienced drastic declines in their population over the past two decades due to habitat loss and infection. Officials now estimate that there may be as few as 800 wild adult toads left in Colorado.

“It was a very special day to join our partners from Denver Zoo to release boreal toad tadpoles that the Zoo produced at their facility,” said Daniel Cammack, Southwest Region Native Aquatic Species Biologist with CPW, in a news release. “Consistent propagation of boreal toads in captivity has been the major missing link in our conservation efforts.

If you would like to get involved in the effort, DZCA launched a community science project that lets volunteers monitor the boreal toad's habitat to help officials understand the health of current populations and determine locations for future reintroductions.