Most of the land bases where US Army installations reside are ecologically significant – providing refuge for a large number of the nation’s threatened and endangered plants and animals. Restrictions caused by threatened and endangered species and their critical habitat can have a detrimental impact on the military’s ability to “train as we fight.” The Army indicates that compliance
with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is the number one environmental encroachment on training and readiness (AERTA 2012). In response, the Army is committed to ensuring the long-term viability and continuity of training ranges while meeting land stewardship requirements. As more herpetofaunal species become a conservation concern, it becomes increasingly important for Army land managers to document the species that currently exist on their lands and, through proactive management, potentially avoid conflicts between conservation measures and military training. Joint Base Lewis-McCord (JBLM), Washington houses one such at-risk amphibian species, the Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa). The Oregon spotted frog is an aquatic species found only in the Pacific Northwest and, as of 2014, was federally listed as Threatened by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (UFWS). JBLM has engaged in a robust relocation program to supplement populations of spotted frog on the installation but success of these efforts has been difficult to document or quantify. Oregon Spotted Frogs are very difficult to survey for due to their infrequent terrestrial movements and their propensity to call underwater. Survey efforts based on visual and/or call surveys has documented few individuals but this likely underrepresents actual abundances.

Sampling for environmental DNA (eDNA) for Oregon Spotted Frogs could be a more effective approach for surveying and monitoring. eDNA sampling involves obtaining genetic material directly from environmental samples (e.g. breeding ponds) without actually physically identifying frog individuals. The objective of this project was to sample for Oregon Spotted Frogs via eDNA to determine timing and distribution of the species in breeding ponds on Joint Base Lewis-McCord, Washington.