Thrill in rare frog sightings
A RARE frog that caused roadworks to come to a grinding halt has been found for the first time in nearly 20 years near the site of a major development proposed for Kuranda.
Kuranda Envirocare has confirmed that the endangered lace-lid frog (litoria dayii) has been making a comeback in creeks along the Barron River in the Myola Valley.
There has not been a record of the frog in the area since 2000.
The amphibian is found in other locations across the Wet Tropics such as Crystal Cascades, however, there are only small populations of it.
The species’ discovery at a causeway at Dinner Creek, north of Innisfail, about five years ago, forced Cairns Regional Council to revise its plans for roadworks at the site.
James Cook University researcher Dr Conrad Hoskins confirmed finding five lace-lid male frogs calling and another pair mating two weeks ago.
“It’s exciting to find such a collection of threatened spe- cies in one creek mouth,” he said.
Kuranda Envirocare, which has received a grant for frog monitoring from the international Threatened Species Foundation, is hopeful of the lace-lid frog’s return to the area.
The group has been working with Dr Hoskin on a monitoring project since 2013.
Envirocare president Cathy Retter said they were advocat- ing for elimination of sources of soil erosion in local creeks.
“Such sedimentation threats exist from large developments such as the proposed KUR-World eco-resort, when they do not control their sediment run-off,” she said.
A community rally against KURWorld is being held at Kuranda tomorrow from 10.30am, starting near the bottom pub on Coondoo St.