With their sensitive skin and aquatic habitats, amphibians are some of the first creatures to feel pollution and environment change.

While much is known about the San Juan Islands’ fish and animal populations, very little research has been done about local frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts.

“It’s an emerging issue now because we have the Critical Areas Ordinance and people are beginning to realize amphibians are our least understood key indicator species,” said Russel Barsh, director of KWIAHT, a non-profit dedicated to biodiversity and environmental chemistry research in San Juan County.

Amphibians are relatively complex organisms. Many species breed in wetlands, ponds, and lakes; terrestrial-breeding species have not been documented here in the San Juan Islands. Because their skin is sensitive and they are frequently in contact with water, they become susceptible to pollutants and diseases. “Their exposure to whatever we’ve put in the water affects them much more than us. Studies elsewhere in the world have found a strong correlation between development, pollution, and the decline of amphibians. On a global scale, amphibians are considered the miner’s canary,” said Barsh.

The purpose of the San Juan County Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) is to designate and classify hazardous and ecologically sensitive areas, and to protect people, property and natural ecosystems in conformance with the Washington Growth Management Act and the County Comprehensive Plan.

County Planner Shireene Hale has been coordinating work on a Best Available Science report to support revisions of the county’s CAO. She is working with State agencies and with local organizations like KWIAHT to assess sensitive species in San Juan County, including surveying amphibian populations in our archipelago.

Once KWIAHT researchers became involved, they found that no one knows how many species there are in San Juan County. “We don’t know what we have and what we can lose,” said Barsh.

Barsh relies heavily on local knowledge and says old timers have reported a drop in amphibian populations and people are hearing less frog songs each year. Others are helping to identify new or undiscovered species. The Western Toad, a once common amphibian species in the islands, is now considered extremely rare. A recent sighting was made on Shaw Island by local students, and Shaw Island teacher Connie Holz has charged her students with the task of photographing the toads they find and compiling the results for KWIAHT.

A unique trait of the San Juan Islands is that some species may only be found on one island. The Long-Toed Salamander is only present on Orcas, while the Northwestern Salamander has only been found on Lopez; they are two species of the same genus. The Rough-Skinned Newts, those well-known orange creatures residing on many of the islands, have very distinct trails they travel on each year. Barsh says he would like to post “Newt Crossing” signs to help protect them.

A significant problem affecting the local ecosystem is the introduction of non-native species. In aquatic habitats, the non-native Bullfrog has been a serious threat, eating ducklings, goslings, salamanders, frogs, small birds, young mice, and many kinds of aquatic eggs. “They will eat anything they can get down,” said Scott Rozenbaum, with Rozewood Environmental Services, who does amphibian surveys for clients.

There is nothing that can be done to get rid of the Bullfrogs completely, but if anyone knows of a population living on their property, Barsh and Rozenbaum recommend either killing or trapping them. They only breed during the warm summer months (our native amphibians lay eggs in the late winter through mid-spring) so if there is a large grouping of eggs in your pond, they are probably Bullfrog eggs and can be destroyed. “They are an incredibly successful beast who is devouring other aquatic beasts,” said Barsh.

Many species are still being discovered here, including the Sharp-Tailed Snake on Orcas and San Juan, the Northern Flying Squirrel on San Juan (recently confirmed by KWIAHT), and beavers on Waldron and Cypress. The only way to determine if these species are truly native is through population genetics, a specialty of Barsh’s partner Madrona Murphy. If the species is a genetic match to its off-island counterpart, it was introduced. If the genetic profiles are a bit different, then it’s been here for some time and is considered native.

“We have to hang on to the native species because they are unique and unlike those found anywhere else. As a general rule, let’s find out what we have before we introduce anything else,” said Barsh.

To report amphibian sightings or for more information about these projects, call Russel Barsh at 468-2808 or email him at RLBarsh@gmail.com.