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This site was recently redesigned and now includes pages describing the taxonomy and ecosystem role of mountain yellow-legged frogs (see Natural History), and a Frog Blog. Blog entries highlight the latest twists and turns in mountain yellow-legged frog conservation, and the challenges we face in conserving biodiversity on our increasingly human-dominated Earth.

Purpose of this Site

This site provides up-to-date information on the natural history and conservation of the mountain yellow-legged frog, a group of two closely-related species (Rana muscosa and Rana sierrae) that inhabit California's highest mountains.

As an aquatic ecologist fascinated by the fauna of mountain habitats, I've spent the last 15 years studying mountain yellow-legged frogs in the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately, this research and that of my colleagues indicates that this once-abundant amphibian is disappearing. Many of the lakes and ponds in which I observed mountain yellow-legged frogs just a few years ago no longer contain them, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Against this background of population disappearances, it is heartening to see the growing interest in conserving these frogs. To further that interest, this site distills the burgeoning scientific and management literature on mountain yellow-legged frogs down into the key facts related to natural history, current status, threats, and ongoing conservation efforts.

The information on this site is based on the latest available scientific studies, but also includes the scientific opinions of its author, Dr. Roland Knapp.