A recent article from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service features WERC scientists on a search for salamanders on San Miguel Mountain, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. USGS WERC scientist Dr. Robert Fisher has been surveying salamander populations in the region as part of a nationwide effort to track the spread of the chytrid fungus Bsal, which is deadly to salamanders. Bsal has not been found in North America yet, but the San Diego region is a high-risk zone because it is a port-of-entry. Fisher and his collaborators found Monterey salamanders at San Miguel Mountain, a discovery that identified a range extension for the species and provided an opportunity to test for Bsal fungus. These surveys are just one piece of a broader USGS research program focused on widespread amphibian decline. USGS provides data that informs conservation and wildlife health decision making.

Read more about USGS WERC’s amphibian research in Southern California.