Gone 50 years, endangered frog, with unique sound, makes comeback in La Crosse County

Blanchard’s Northern Cricket Frog was once plentiful in Wisconsin. 

They hadn’t been seen in La Crosse County in over 50 years.

But, just this month, DNR researcher Andrew Badje has spotted the thumb-sized frogs.

The endangered Blanchard’s Northern Cricket Frog is making a comeback. It was once plentiful in Wisconsin, and Badje is discovering the frog populations in places they disappeared from decades ago.

Why they disappeared, however, remains unanswered.

“I personally think it may have had something to do with droughts – drought related – climate related things. Nobody really knows,” Badje said. “It could have been chemicals. It could have been some type of disease that came through. Nobody knows for sure and I don’t think we’ll ever really know.”

If it wasn’t climate, Badje had some other theories.

“For this species of frog, it’s not necessarily that the environment was worse off before,” he said. “We don’t know if it was chemical contamination, excess phosphorus in the water.”

While those who have been evacuated yesterday because of flooding, it’s the very wet season in the area that might be behind the frogs’ resurgence.

“I think that’s really what’s helping drive expansion in this case,” Badje said. “We’ve had these crazy months with rains and floods in the last couple years.”

At the end of this short video, you can hear what the frog sounds like and see if you can hear them outside for yourself.

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