At 03:53 PM 1/9/97 -0800, Jerry Tangren wrote:

>Raising leopard frogs (Northern Leopard Frog?; more likely one of the more
>southern species) from eggs is (was?) a regular activity for the 4th
>graders (it's been 4 years since I had a 4th grader) in the Wenatchee
>public schools. From what I understand the descendents of this project can
>often be found here or there in the Wenatchee area.

That's interesting information. I have often wondered just how common this
practice is. It's a wonder that leopard frogs aren't all over the state if
this practice is prevalent. If these biological supply house animals were
able to survive well and reproduce, I would expect many more encounters with
leopard frogs in Washington. My guess is that they linger a few generations
and die out.

Releasing wildlife without a permit is illegal in Washington. I know this
is not a successful deterrant. My own kids raised and released Painted Lady
butterflies in Elementary School here in Olympia. Nevertheless, the law is
there. We would be much better off if native species were used in the
classroom so that the releasees would at least be native animals.
Unfortunately, teachers don't generally have the time to go out and collect
eggs or tadpoles from the wild and it is also illegal for biological supply
houses to deal in these animals (leopard frogs as well unless it's a species
that doesn't occur in Washington). However, most leopard frogs are Rana
pipiens, the species that occurs in the wild here in Washington.

The laws probably should be changed to accomodate reasonable uses by
teachers. It's very tough to swallow the idea of commercial enterprises
dealing in native species though. The teachers who want to raise frogs will
just have to find a way to get native stock other than by purchase.

Kelly McAllister
Olympia, Washington