Amphibians and Aquatic Wildlife Restoration

Project overview: Recover Yosemite’s imperiled aquatic wildlife by monitoring endangered and threatened species — Sierra Nevada Yellow-legged frogs, Yosemite toads, Western Pond turtles, and more — and conducting reintroduction efforts in the park.

How your support helps: Habitat loss, invasive species, and disease threaten the survival of amphibian and aquatic wildlife populations around the globe. In Yosemite National Park, Conservancy donors have supported efforts to study and support the park’s native aquatic species since the late 1990s. Efforts have included surveys of lakes, ponds, and meadows, as well as ambitious captive-rearing and reintroduction programs. In more recent years, donor-funded work has focused on three imperiled amphibians: Yosemite toads, Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frogs, and California red-legged frogs.  

• Yosemite toads: Through Conservancy-supported research, scientists have increased their understanding of the park’s population of Yosemite toads, a rare and endemic species. In 2024, the National Park Service conducted the first-ever reintroduction of a Yosemite Toad and continued these reintroduction efforts in 2025. 

• Yellow-legged frogs: The Conservancy has funded targeted efforts to restore high country lakes and reintroduce the once-common, now-endangered Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog for over a decade. This initiative has resulted in increased yellow-legged frog numbers in Yosemite — one of the few examples of a frog population rebounding, as amphibians decline worldwide.  

• Red-legged frogs: In 2016, with support from donors, scientists turned their attention to another imperiled amphibian, California red-legged frogs, which hadn’t been seen in the park in half a century. In recent years, biologists have reintroduced thousands of red-legged frog eggs, tadpoles, and adults in Yosemite Valley, where the species is now successfully reproducing and regaining a foothold in the ecosystem.   

The park’s successful amphibian work is anchored in innovative approaches to wildlife research and restoration. With donor support, scientists have been able to identify healthy habitats; study the prevalence of chytrid fungus, which causes the potentially deadly amphibian disease chytridiomycosis; use tiny microchips to monitor red-legged frogs; partner with the San Francisco Zoo to raise young amphibians in a protected space; carry out novel reintroductions within the park; and so much more. 

This year: In 2026, park teams will enhance species’ resilience and stewardship through continued rearing and reintroduction efforts for amphibians, and a newly initiated parkwide inventory of pond turtles and salamanders. Rearing initiatives will include the collection of 2,000+ eggs and tadpoles to be raised in partnership with the San Francisco Zoo, and the reintroduction of 1,300+ adult frogs and toads back to their Yosemite homes. Biologists will also continue to monitor species reintroduction successes and observe western pond turtles with the goal of reintroducing them in the coming years. 

Project partners: Yosemite National Park; University of California, Santa Barbara; and San Francisco Zoo