Restoring the Southwest’s vanishing wetlands for wildlife and communities

When people think about the southwestern United States, most picture arid deserts and rocky mountainous areas. But it's the rivers of the desert Southwest that are considered the lifeblood of this region. Iconic waterways like the Colorado, Pecos and Rio Grande descend from headwaters in lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests through the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, providing critical resources for wildlife and human communities alike.

It is precisely these interconnected aquatic systems - and the species that depend on them - that NFWF's Southwest Rivers Business Plan is focused on conserving. Ranching, farming and energy development all play major economic roles in the region, drawing heavily on available land and water. As more people begin to live and work in the Southwest, and as droughts grow longer and more intense, the demands on these watersheds are intensifying, with consequences felt across the entire system.

Losing ground in a drying landscape

One species feeling the pressure is the Chiricahua leopard frog, an olive-green, dark-spotted amphibian native to the Southwest and one of the most imperiled frogs in North America. Once common across thousands of aquatic sites in Arizona, New Mexico and northern Mexico, the species is now found in only 15 percent of its historic range and is only known to exist in fewer than 80 locations in the wild.

The wetlands the Chiricahua leopard frog depend on to reproduce have largely dried up after three decades of persistent drought. For a frog that requires permanent standing water to lay its eggs and complete its life cycle, even small changes in water availability can have a big impact on population growth. In the limited range it has left, the frog now must compete with invasive bullfrogs and crayfish for food and space. A deadly fungal disease called chytridiomycosis has further driven the Chiricahua leopard frog's decline.

Chiricahua leopard frogs are vital to the ecosystems in which they live. They help regulate aquatic insect populations and serve as a critical food source for herons, snakes and other predators. Their presence - or absence - is a valuable indicator of overall watershed health. The same headwaters that sustain the frogs are home to aquatic species like the Apache trout, Gila chub and Gila topminnow. Not only that, these rivers also support the rural communities downstream that depend on having clean water for daily life.

In other words, losing the frog is rarely an isolated event. It signals a broader unraveling of the aquatic ecosystem - one with real consequences not only for wildlife, but also for ranchers, farmers and rural residents whose livelihoods are tied to healthy water supplies.

Engineering a comeback

Now, a recent news story from the Arizona Mirror highlights a major effort to turn the tide for this threatened species: six newly constructed wetlands in Arizona's White Mountains, designed to provide permanent water for Chiricahua leopard frogs and the broader ecosystem they support. With support from NFWF's Southwest Rivers program, the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy (ARC) led an effort in partnership with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to revamp this critical habitat for the species.

Over two weeks this spring, wetland engineers, biologists, volunteers, and a crew of Arizona Department of Forestry firefighters worked together to reshape six former cattle tanks, installing aquatic-safe pond liners beneath rock and soil to retain water that would otherwise seep away, stabilizing pond edges and reseeding native vegetation.

"One thing that stood out during this project was how many people were willing to travel hours to come out and work hard for wildlife they may never even see," said Becca Cozad, Southwestern Program Coordinator for the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy. "That level of community investment in imperiled species is really inspiring."

The six chosen sites are positioned close enough to one another so that the frogs can hop between ponds as conditions shift, reducing their dependence on any single water source.

In addition to benefiting the Chiricahua leopard frog, this project will also serve the elk, pronghorn, birds, snakes, pollinators, and other species that depend on surface water in a landscape where it is growing scarcer every year.

"These wetlands may look simple at first glance, but they can provide critical breeding and refuge habitat for frogs and benefit so many other species when water is available on the landscape," Cozad said.

Healthier riparian zones like this one also mean more reliable water sources for communities and the ranching and agricultural operations that share this landscape. These outcomes reflect the broader goals of NFWF's Southwest Rivers Business Plan, which focuses on restoration efforts that support both biodiversity and human communities.

Once the summer monsoons fill the newly constructed ponds, Chiricahua leopard frogs will be reintroduced from existing healthy populations, with ongoing monitoring to track water retention and frog occupancy over time. By restoring wetland habitat and increasing connectivity, the project is expected to improve population resilience and genetic diversity for the Chiricahua leopard frog over the long term, as well as improve the broader watershed for wildlife and communities.

Learn more about how NFWF's Southwest Rivers Business Plan supports projects that restore aquatic habitats and conserve imperiled species like the Chiricahua leopard frog across the Southwest.