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Colorado’s boreal toads are in trouble. As deadly chytrid fungus continues to spread from wetland to wetland, they need our help if they’re going to survive. In collaboration with GARNA & Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver Zoo is taking two conservation actions to bring boreal toads back from the brink: 

Breeding + Release. To prevent boreal toad populations from completely disappearing, Denver Zoo is using their animal care expertise to breed these native amphibians at Denver Zoo and then release the tadpoles into the wild. This will also give wild populations more of a chance to build genetic resistance to chytrid. 

Community Science. To save the boreal toad, we need to understand how it’s doing in Colorado, and that’s where you come in! In the summer months, volunteer community scientists play a key role in boreal toad conservation by monitoring historic toad habitat. This data will help by identifying future sites for wild reintroduction and locating unknown populations (potentially even ‘super-toads’ that may have natural resistance to chytrid fungus). 

This summer Denver Zoo is launching a community science project to support the Boreal Toad Conservation Team (the broader effort to conserve boreal toads in the Southern Rockies). As a member of Team Toad, you will collect key data on boreal toads and their habitat that researchers need to understand how this species is doing in Colorado and inform species management decisions. Together, we are working towards a Southern Rockies where the boreal toad is flourishing rather than disappearing.

GARNA is helping Denver Zoo recruit volunteers to participate in guided hikes to learn how to monitor toad habitat. The locations monitored on each date are:

Sun, July 24 Grassey Lake (Difficult hike)

Mon, July 25 Tunnel Lake (Difficult hike)

Tues, Jul 26 Hancock Lake (Easy/Moderate hike) 

Tue, Aug 9 Bear Lake & Galena Lake near Leadville (Moderate Hike)

More information will be provided upon registration. Expect to spend all day in the field. 

Numerous agencies and individuals contribute to boreal toad conservation in the Southern Rockies, but the BTCT community science project was created and is managed by Denver Zoo in collaboration with biologists at Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

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