OPERATION SPADEFOOT RHODE ISLAND RWPZ joins partners from RIDEM, URI, USFWS, along with other conservation organizations on the project Operation Spadefoot Rhode Island. This project aims to study and restore populations of Rhode Island’ only state endangered amphibian, the Eastern Spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus holbrookii. Although common in other parts of the country, there are only a few known breeding sites of this toad left in Washington and Kent counties of RI.
In late August 2021, after heavy rains during hurricane Henri, spadefoots bred at one of the pool sites. As the pool dried up, nearly 1000 tadpoles were rescued and then raised until they were fully morphed. Over 300 were released to the site they came from , and the rest were introduced to two other artificial breeding sites in efforts to expand the rand of this state endangered species in Rhode Island. There was no activity detected in 2022.
Eastern Spadefoot toads spend most of their lives buried in sandy loam, only rising briefly to breed in shallow wetlands filled by rainwater. They typically breed after heavy rainfall between April and September in pools that are temporary enough that they don’t support potential spadefoot predators, like the larger bullfrog. This species may not breed every year if conditions are unfavorable. As a predator of insects, the Eastern Spadefoot toad functions to help control insect population in their ecosystem. The biggest threats to frogs and toads in Rhode Island are habitat loss and fragmentation. Operation Spadefoot RI achievements to date: In 2019, 800 Eastern spadefoot tadpoles were raised and released into select sites across Washington County in Rhode Island. This was a groundbreaking moment for the conservation of endangered species here in New England.
In July 2023, a rainstorm triggered a breeding event for a population of Eastern spadefoot toads in Charlestown, RI. With the breeding pool drying up rapidly, USFWS collected over 3,800 tadpoles to be reared by RWPZ conservation director Lou Perrotti, to head start for a release. Once big enough, the toads were disease tested as a precaution to ensure they were healthy before being released. Operation Spadefoot RI partners released about 1,800 toads to the pool where the tadpoles where found in Charlestown. The other 2,000 toads were released to the two other artificial breeding sites that were constructed back in 2020. These young toads will reach breeding age in 2-4 years and will await another rainstorm to begin another breeding event.
In April 2020, RWPZ joined conservation partners to build new vernal habitat pools as part of Operation Spadefoot RI, a habitat restauration project aimed to repopulate the state endangered Eastern spadefoot toad. Volunteers and team members onsite dug, lined, and seeded two pools on land owned by the South Kingstown Land Trust. 10
