WPC Project

Fraser Valley Wetlands Wildlife

Species Status: Endangered in Canada
Action Required: Conservation breeding, headstarting, reintroduction and population augmentation
Location: British Columbia

Species

This project focuses on two flagship species for B.C. wetlands. The Oregon spotted frog is Canada’s most endangered frog, with fewer than 300 breeding individuals in the wild. Without intervention, it will almost certainly disappear. Meanwhile, the western painted turtle is B.C.’s only remaining native pond turtle, and the Pacific Coast population is dwindling.

What are the Fraser Valley Wetlands Programs?

Since 2010, WPC has been breeding and reintroducing thousands of Oregon spotted tadpoles and froglets back into wetlands in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. It takes years of careful observation, collaboration, ingenuity and sometimes a little luck to crack the code to breeding specific species. For several years, our progress was very limited. But our team persevered. Today, WPC has pioneered breeding techniques that are turning the tide for this species.

In the wetlands of B.C.’s Fraser Valley, western painted turtles face many challenges, especially as eggs and tiny hatchlings. With no shortage of hungry predators and no care from their parents once they’ve hatched, only a few young turtles survive to become adults. When you add human activity to the mix, the rate of survival can be so low that a population becomes unsustainable. Since 2012, we’ve been working to improve those odds. In addition to protecting nests, we collect eggs from vulnerable turtle nests, artificially incubate them and head-start new hatchlings before releasing them back into the wild.

Oregon Spotted Frog

Purpose

We work to prevent the Oregon spotted frog from disappearing by building the wild populations in British Columbia, and studying the species to learn more about what is impacting these frogs.

GOALS

In 5-10 years we plan to have:

  • 10,000-20,000 tadpoles released per year over the next 5 years
  • Local communities further engaged in conservation program and tadpole releases

Western Painted Turtle

Purpose

We work to prevent the western painted turtle from disappearing by supporting and supplementing wild populations in British Columbia, and further studying the species.

GOALS

In 5-10 years we plan to have:

  • Intensive monitoring of release sites in Fraser Valley to demonstrate success of the reintroduction program
  • Headstarting and release work expanded from Fraser Valley to the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island
  • Local communities further engaged in conservation program and turtle releases

WHAT’S INVOLVED

The freshwater ecosystems of B.C.’s Lower Mainland have been severely impacted by pollution, runoff, climate change, invasive species and large numbers of predators such as raccoons. At least one species native to the area, the northern Pacific pond turtle, has already disappeared from Canada, while others have dropped to such low numbers that their only hope of surviving rests on direct, hands-on conservation.

The recovery plan for Oregon spotted frog calls for conservation breeding, headstarting and release to re-establish viable populations in at least six sites. Wildlife Preservation Canada began coordinating these efforts in 2010, adding a conservation breeding program to the headstarting work taking place at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. This expanded on the breeding efforts underway at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Meanwhile, an ongoing mark-recapture program and extensive egg mass monitoring by our recovery partners is tracking the success of this initiative. Young are being used both to increase the size of existing wild populations and to establish new ones at appropriate sites where the species had been lost.

In 2012, we expanded our work to include the western painted turtle. In order to save this population, experts recommend protecting nests, artificially incubating eggs, headstarting young turtles for release and establishing a conservation breeding program.

Accordingly, we began salvaging western painted turtle eggs from nests at high risk — such as those on gravel boat ramps — and headstarting them. We also began collecting adults found living alone or in such small groups that effective breeding was unlikely. These turtles form the nucleus of a conservation breeding population. We headstart hatchlings for at least a year, until they are too large to be eaten by their major predators: bullfrogs that have been introduced to British Columbia. We also take in sick and injured western painted turtles for rehabilitation and release.

As of fall 2019, we have reared and released over 600 Oregon spotted frogs and 600 western painted turtles. Initial results suggest these individuals are thriving in the wild.

Surveys continually turn up an unexpectedly large number of healthy young turtles that we released the previous years. We plan to expand our reach and rear turtles from populations further north up the Sunshine Coast. We have seen the positive impacts of releasing Oregon spotted frogs to historic populations, with long term data reflecting that our releases have helped stabilize these populations. We continue to work with our partners to research and refine methods for rearing both species to produce the largest number of healthy individuals and make the greatest conservation impact.

In 2019 we were also able to monitor wild populations full time during nesting. This year we observed a record number of nests, 53 in total!

Ramping up our conservation breeding program for each species will allow us to release more frogs and turtles, significantly increasing wild populations and restoring them to historic areas. In the coming years, we also hope to use the techniques from our western painted turtle program to reintroduce the Pacific pond turtle to Canada.

Recent articles about the Fraser Valley Wetlands

by Wildlife Preservation Canada
Where are they now?

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Project Staff

Andrea Gielens

Andrea Gielens

Lead Biologist

Andrea manages our captive breeding and release programs for the Oregon spotted frog and the coastal western painted turtle. Andrea has studied at-risk reptiles and amphibians in Canada and abroad, including a term at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Jersey. Andrea also manages the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly recovery program in BC.

Thank you to those who make this work possible

  • The Sitka Foundation
  • The Leon Judah Blackmore Foundation
  • Environment Canada – Environmental Damages Fund

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Territory Acknowledgement

WPC is headquartered in Guelph, Ontario on the homelands of many nations, including the Anishinaabek, Neutral, Métis, Mississauga, and Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We work across Turtle Island, and have deep gratitude to all the Indigenous Peoples who have been, and continue to be, stewards and protectors the lands on which we rely.

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Charitable Registration No.

89171 0535 RR0001