Harborton Frog Crossing Project

Each year, early in the winter season, Northern red-legged frogs migrate between their habitat in Forest Park and Harborton wetland, near the Willamette River, to lay the eggs that will carry their species forward. Over time, people have fundamentally altered the landscape here and in other places throughout Oregon. Today, only a handful of wetlands with habitat suitable for amphibian species still exist in this area. To get to Harborton Wetland, these frogs descend a steep slope near Linnton and cross five lanes of Highway 30 traffic, a set of railroad tracks, and Marina Drive. They repeat this process to get back to the forest habitat where they live most of their lives. The number of frogs being killed on Highway 30 led a group of local residents to create the Harborton Frog Shuttle. Sponsored by the Foundation, the Shuttle has helped thousands of frogs make this annual migration journey since their founding in 2013.

The Shuttle is not necessarily a long-term solution. A coalition of organizations, including Shuttle volunteers, are working to develop an underpass for frogs and other wildlife species in the vicinity of Harborton Drive and Highway 30. The project calls for the installation of a specially designed concrete box culvert under Highway 30 to assist wildlife in passing safely between the forest and wetland habitat they need to survive. A conceptual design for the culvert and associated features has been adopted by the coalition. The next challenge is raising the funds needed to turn that design into an engineering plan set that the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will implement. Once engineering is underway, the task of raising construction funds will come to the fore. How long this project takes depends on how quickly we can raise the necessary funds. 

Your gift today advances the process and helps us get that much closer to a passage structure for red-legged frogs and other species.