Utah Tech University Students Fight for Dwindling Local Canyon Tree Frog Population

By Jake Harber

Southern Utah’s canyon tree frog population is dropping and dropping fast. In 2008, when Utah Tech University professor Curt Walker heard the suggestion that someone conduct research on the declining tree frog numbers, he took it upon himself to get to the bottom of the mysterious, growing absence of the once thriving population.

Nearly fifteen years later, Walker still ventures out every summer, now accompanied by students from Utah Tech University. The group has come to two conclusions: the consistent drought in St. George is affecting the water-dependent species and a fungus called chytrid is common in the local communities of canyon tree frogs.

Traveling to places like Zion National Park and Quail Creek State Park each week, Walker and his students hike, rappel, and climb to reach their destinations. They catch tree frogs and transport them to the lab on Utah Tech’s campus, where the frogs are swabbed and tested for the chytrid fungus.

“It ended up being one of the best experiences I’ve had through college,” natural science major Asheley Atkin said. “Dr. Walker isn’t selfish with his knowledge. He wants the best for us and is offering up information constantly.”

In the lab, a chytrid sample bought from another laboratory in Maine is kept alive and nurtured. Students do DNA extraction and pull various other samples from the frogs they’ve caught and then compare the samples to the chytrid sample. By doing this, the students can verify the canyons where the fungus is present.

Walker and the students hope the ongoing project will call attention to the plight of the tree frog and motivate further research. “If the students are involved, there are more opportunities to raise awareness and funding,” Atkin said.

The students who participated are preparing to write a paper focused on the extended drought and how it has affected the species. This research will be presented by the students at the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research in late February of 2023 and on the UT campus during University Research Day in the spring.

Students expressed repeatedly that the research itself was enjoyable and that Walker made the experience much more entertaining. Several members of the group said they spent many hours during the summer laughing and enjoying themselves. “It’s like we weren’t even working; we were just having fun,” Atkin remarked.

The Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research will be held on Friday, February 27, 2023, at the University of Utah. To learn more, please visit ucur.org. For more information on Utah Tech’s biological sciences department, go to biology.utahtech.edu.

About the Author

Jake Harber

Jake Harber is a full-time student at Utah Tech University. A small-town Wyoming native, he moved to St. George to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and work toward a career in public relations. He enjoys the southern Utah climate and all the outdoor adventures this area has to offer.