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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Wildfires are affecting endangered Mountain yellow-legged frogs in San Diego and other counties.

The Los Angeles Times published a news article on the effect that wildfires are having on endangered Mountain yellow-legged frogs. The amphibians have already been impacted by loss of habitat from drought and urban development, and an invasive fungus that's decimating wild populations. USGS Western Ecological Research Center ecologist Adam Backlin describes the effects that the five-year drought has had on the frog’s natural habitat, emphasizing the impact that wildfire could have on isolated populations. Backlin collaborates with multiple zoos to raise a population of the yellow-legged frogs in captivity. The captive population can help reintroduce genetic diversity into the wild populations.