Recent summer snorkeling surveys conducted by the National Park Service in Crater Lake National Park revealed an alarming result: zero wild Mazama newts were detected. That's a dramatic drop from 35 found just three years ago. The Mazama newt has adapted to Crater Lake's unique high-level pristine environment.
Found nowhere else on earth, this unique amphibian population is facing an unprecedented survival crisis.
Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity's Endangered Species Program said this year is the first time the National Park Service surveys produced no findings of the newt. While the species is not formally declared extinct, Stewart-Fusek warned of the severe decline.
“It does mean that there are so few that the methods they have used to detect them in years past have not turned up any news.”
The species' collapse is driven primarily by invasive crayfish introduced to the lake in 1915 to feed fish that were stocked to attract anglers. Lacking natural predator defenses, the newts are preyed upon at every life stage. Meanwhile, warming lake waters accelerate crayfish growth and fuel increased algae levels, which have led to dramatic changes in the newts' habitat conditions.
In response, the Center petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Endangered Species Act protections.
“Clearly, the newt meets criteria for being listed as an endangered species,” Stewart-Fusek said. Federal listing would unlock funding for a recovery plan focused on crayfish removal and captive breeding support, which is currently underway at the Oregon Zoo.
Following a court-ordered extension, the federal agency faces a November 20 deadline to make a decision. Despite the dire survey results, Stewart-Fusek remains hopeful due to ongoing captive breeding efforts at the Oregon Zoo.
“We do believe that if they are listed really, really soon, and if we have the successful captive breeding ongoing, they would one day be able to be reintroduced back to the lake once the crayfish problem is addressed,” Stewart-Fusek said.
Guest
- Chelsea Stewart-Fusek, endangered species attorney, Center for Biological Diversity
