Portland’s ‘frog taxi’ helps amphibians cross the road

There’s a population of Northern red-legged frogs that make their home in Portland’s Forest Park. In late winter and early spring, they come down to the nearby Harborton wetland to breed. There’s only one problem: the frogs have to cross Highway 30 to get from Forest Park to the wetland and back. About ten years ago, a local resident saw the road covered with the bodies of frogs who had tried to cross during the night and gotten squished. They alerted some friends and neighbors and that’s how the Harborton Frog Shuttle, also lovingly known as the “frog taxi” came to be. Teams of dedicated volunteers are on-call from late winter to early spring and when the conditions are right for the frogs, they come out with their buckets and headlamps to help the amphibians cross the road safely.   OPB “Oregon Field Guide” producer Jule Gilfillan and OPB cinematographer/editor Brooke Herbert tagged along with the frog taxi volunteers. They join us to share a bit about the experience. And you can see their video here.    For more Evergreen episodes and to share your voice with us, visit our showpage. Follow OPB on Instagram, and follow host Jenn Chávez too. You can sign up for OPB’s newsletters to get what you need in your inbox regularly.   Don’t forget to check out our many podcasts, which can be found on any of your favorite podcast apps: Hush Timber Wars Season 2: Salmon Wars Politics Now Think Out Loud And many more! Check out our full show list here.