Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Survey

raSmith ecologists conducted a presence/absence survey for the State-Endangered Blanchard’s Cricket Frog (Acris blanchardi) to meet the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) requirements for a development project in the City of Oconomowoc. The survey was conducted in order to comply with state endangered species laws. The presence/absence survey was conducted using the Blanchard’s Cricket Frog Species Guidance document and the survey protocols outlined in the Wisconsin Frog and Toad Survey Phenology Survey Manual.

The habitat that was surveyed included several permanent waterbodies including an approximately 5-acre pond, a smaller 0.2-acre pond, and an approximately 50-foot wide drainageway that is roughly 0.6 miles in length. A total of five presence/absence breeding call (audio) surveys were conducted during June 2019 at eight locations within the property. The frog breeding call surveys were conducted after dark under favorable weather conditions for a minimum 5-minute listening period at each survey location. The vocalizations of all frog species were documented during the survey. Information/observations from each survey were recorded on a field data sheet and later submitted to the WDNR. The presence/absence surveys conducted for the proposed project determined that no Blanchard’s Cricket Frog species were present within the project limits; thus, there were no project restrictions with respect to this rare species.