[Ski]

West Rocky Prairie Wildlife Area - 02-20-20 Ours was the only vehicle at the trailhead when we arrived. As I was stuffing a few things into my pack, three WDFW crew members arrived in a truck, opened the gate, and drove in. One of them told us they were there to conduct egg counts on the Oregon Spotted Frog (Rana pretiosa), an endemic amphibian which is currently listed as Federally threatened, and State endangered.

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There was still a bit of frost in the shady spots when we first arrived. The road walk from the gate down to the prairie is 0.8 miles.

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The sun was out and the open prairie was warm enough to remove jackets and sweaters.

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After a lunch break in the sun we took a shortcut back up to the road, where we met the WDFW coming out. They said they'd found a good number of frogs. The dogs enjoyed getting out in the sun too.

Arlo & Lina West Rocky Prairie Wildlife Area 022020 01

This very special and unique remnant of South Puget Sound Glacial Outwash Prairie, into which the State of Washington has made a significant investment ostensibly to restore the native habitat and the Endangered Species which call it home, is currently in jeopardy of losing its unique and wild nature. For more information please see my post in the Stewardship Forum HERE