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<br />EAGLE COUNTY, CO
<br />The sites in Eagle County are being monitored primarily with volunteer help this year.
<br />Personnel from the Vail Nature Center and the Gore Range Natural Science School are
<br />monitoring the sites at East Vail, East lake Creek, and Holy Cross City. Preliminary
<br />reports from the volunteers and from the CNHP crew indicate that breeding activity has been
<br />observed at both East Vail and East Lake Creek, Report from Holy Cross City is still
<br />pending,
<br />
<br />CHAFFEE COUNTY, CO
<br />The metapopulation in Chaffee County continues to be productive and appears to be in good
<br />health, Most of the 14 breeding localities were active again this year, with good to excellent
<br />production at several of the sites, such as Denny Creek, South Cottonwood, and Sayre's
<br />Gulch, The only sites at which no breeding activity has been observed are Brown's Creek,
<br />Four-mile Creek, and the new (1999) South Denny Creek site, The Rainbow Lake
<br />breeding locality did have one clutch of tadpoles early in the season, but they have all
<br />disappeared - possibly due to predation by mallard ducks,
<br />
<br />GUNNISON COUNTY, CO
<br />Dan Brauch (CDOW) reports that breeding activity was observed at Triangle Pass and at
<br />Brush Creek this summer. Initial productivity appeared good, but subsequent monitofing
<br />showed drastic reduction in the number of surviving larvae, especially at the Brush Creek
<br />site, where the water level in the breeding pond dropped dramatically, No toads of breeding
<br />activity were observed at West Brush Creek, and surveys at the Magdalene Gulch site
<br />resulted in observation of four adult toads, but no breeding activity,
<br />
<br />MINERAL COUNTY, CO
<br />The Jumper Creek breeding site has been monitored by Craig Fetkavich, and was active
<br />this year. At least two clutches of eggs were produced, but they were lost to desiccation,
<br />However, a number of tadpoles were taken in to captivity at the Native Aquatic Species
<br />restoration facirlty before the rest were lost (see notes on captive rearing, below),
<br />
<br />HINSDALE COUNTY, CO
<br />While surveying in the Trout Creek drainage, near the Jumper Creek site, Craig Fetkavich
<br />located a new breeding site on upper West Trout Creek, in Hinsdale County, This is a
<br />significant find, as it is the first known breeding locality in Hinsdale County, and only the
<br />second one presently known in the San Juan Mts,
<br />
<br />Chytrid Fungus Survey and Testing
<br />
<br />In 1999, a population of boreal toads in Clear Creek County, Colorado, experienced mass
<br />mortality associated with infection by chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis).
<br />Mortality at the site is still being observed this year, although breeding activity is still
<br />occurring, To date, this disease-causing fungus has been identified from dead or sick boreal
<br />toads at two additional areas in Colorado, This same fungus appears to be an important
<br />factor in the mysterious disappearances of amphibian populations both in Colorado and
<br />elsewhere in the world, including Australia, New Zealand, and Central America.
<br />Because the fungus was discovered only recently, we do not know very much about its
<br />ecology. It is important to understand the geographic distribution and prevalence of this
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