Some VIP tiny animals are being closely monitored and cared for by Northwest Trek Wildlife Park zookeepers Chelsea and Kameron. Their charges started out looking like a gooey cluster of chia seeds when they arrived from Grant County earlier this spring. Soon, those tiny black “seeds” sprouted pointy dorsal fin tails, and their little bodies morphed into plump ovals with small eyes. They were hungry, mobile, and thriving in large black aquatic tanks carefully managed by Chelsea and Kameron. If everything goes smoothly, these little ones will grow into northern leopard frogs and be released back to Grant County later …

State wildlife officials moved nearly 200 endangered northern leopard frog tadpoles raised at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville to their new home at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Eastern Washington in late May. The tadpoles will continue growing in secured rearing pens until they are mature enough to hop into the wild alongside 200 additional mature frogs later this summer. “Northwest Trek Wildlife Park is proud to work with our public and private partners on the northern leopard frog project to restore the wild population,” said Curator Marc Heinzman. “It’s incredible to watch them grow from egg masses …

Nearly 400 endangered northern leopard frogs will leap back into the wild soon, thanks to a recovery effort at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials delivered the frog eggs to the Eatonville wildlife park in April. “They’ve already grown from egg masses to tadpoles in a short time,” said Northwest Trek Zoological Curator Marc Heinzman. “At this rate, the frogs should be ready to hop back into the wild this summer.” Once abundant throughout North America, northern leopard frogs are rapidly disappearing from their native ranges in Washington, Oregon, and western Canada. The species has been …

RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS, OBSERVATIONS, AND SPECIES IDENTIFIED IN 2024 SEATTLE-TACOMA CITY NATURE CHALLENGE Nearly 900 observers participated in this year’s City Nature Challenge spanning King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties, including Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Snohomish, and any place in between. From April 26 through April 29, community scientists submitted 16,395 nature observations—up 63% from 2023—and identified 1,868 species (+30%), showing the world the incredible biodiversity in the region’s home turf. That’s the region’s record! “It’s exciting to set a new record, year after year, and to see our community discover and appreciate native wildlife,” said Zachary Hawn, Conservation Engagement …

What species of amphibians are thriving in the Pacific Northwest? One way to find out is to locate and identify their egg masses, and March and April are the perfect months to get outside and search. This search frequently occurs at a 4-acre wetland mitigation site in a behind-the-scenes area at Northwest Trek. “This is an ideal place for monitoring egg masses,“ says Northwest Trek’s Conservation Program Coordinator Rachael. “Since the wetland’s restoration, we’ve identified eggs from seven of the eight monitored species of stillwater-breeding amphibians.”   Differentiating Egg Masses You will commonly find egg masses of four species around …

Most people visit Northwest Trek Wildlife Park to see animals like grizzly bears, gray wolves, bald eagles, moose, and bison. But beyond the animals living at Northwest Trek under human care, guests will notice the “bonus” animals throughout the wildlife park: wild raccoons, squirrels, snakes, and many birds. “The forest and habitat surrounding Northwest Trek provide a wonderful home for a diversity of native species,” said the wildlife park’s conservation program coordinator, Rachael Mueller. “It’s one of the reasons Northwest Trek is a key place to band birds.” Northwest Trek and partner Puget Sound Bird Observatory (PSBO) hosted four bird …

On Nov. 29, just a month before the federal Endangered Species Act’s 50th anniversary (Dec. 28), the American wolverine received protection as a threatened species in the lower 48 states. North American wolverines are rare in the wild, with fewer than 300 in the lower 48 U.S. states and around three dozen in Washington state. The new protection for wolverines prohibits federal actions likely to jeopardize their continued existence and requires a permit for anyone to harm, kill, capture, or collect a wild wolverine. Wolverines are the largest land species in the mustelid (weasel) family and are known in biology …

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Northwest Trek Wildlife Park and other local partners recently won the 2023 Certificate of Excellence in Public Service from the Public Relations Society of America Puget Sound chapter for their anti-wildlife trafficking display at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The Certificate of Excellence is awarded to an organization that advances the public understanding of a social issue, problem, or concern. Point Defiance Zoo and Northwest Trek, along with Woodland Park Zoo, Association of Zoos & Aquariums Wildlife Trafficking Alliance, Port of Seattle and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, unveiled a first-of-its-kind interactive installation in 2022 to …

Nearly 300 endangered northern leopard frogs raised at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park hopped back into the wild at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge in Grant County at the end of August. The releases are made possible by a partnership of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Oregon Zoo, and Washington State University (WSU). Since early spring, when WDFW collected northern leopard frog eggs, the frogs have grown from egg masses to tadpoles to froglets at Northwest Trek and Oregon Zoo, growing large enough to have a fighting chance …

Endangered northern leopard frogs have been growing at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park! We first received the frogs as eggs in early May from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officials. Since then, we’ve seen them evolve into tadpoles and froglets. In their latest growth stage, experts at Northwest Trek came together to tag the frogs with a blue “dot” inserted into one foot. This method will allow scientists to spot them in the future and assess the success of this conservation project. Northern leopard frogs are an endangered species. Once thriving in the Pacific Northwest, they are vanishing due …