Bay Curious The Case of the Missing Tree Frogs
Feb 26, 2026
Dana Cronin, KQED field reporter who investigates local mysteries on location. She searches creeks for Pacific tree frogs, interviews frog experts about pesticides, habitat change, disease and drought, and explores habitat restoration and signs of frogs returning after winter rains.
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Childhood Chorus Now Silent In Saratoga
- Dave Ellis remembers loud Pacific tree frogs booming through Saratoga in spring when he was a kid.
- He now finds the creek near West Valley College eerily silent and reports hearing almost no frogs for years.
Onsite Search Finds Almost No Tree Frogs
- Dana Cronin and Professor Letiticia Gallardo searched West Valley College creek in early fall and found almost no frogs or calling choruses.
- They checked moist microhabitats like utility boxes and slow drips but heard only one possible call and saw no frogs.
Frogs As Environmental Canaries
- Amphibian declines are driven by multiple pressures: pesticides, habitat loss, drought from climate change, and diseases like chytrid fungus.
- Frogs' permeable skin makes them vulnerable, so declines signal wider environmental problems.