Habitat restored for gopher tortoises later became home to 500 endangered frogs

More than two decades after two Mississippi landowners began restoring their land to help an endangered tortoise, their work has now created a new home for one of North America’s rarest amphibians. In June 2026, conservationists released nearly 500 captive-reared dusky gopher frogs (Rana sevosa) into wetlands at Woodland Cottage, a private estate in Hancock County, Mississippi, owned by Jim and Laura Currie. The release created the only active population of the species in Hancock County and marked the first time the federally endangered frog had been released on private working land. The release was the result of a habitat restoration effort that began long before the frogs arrived. More than 20 years ago, the Curries partnered with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Wildlife Mississippi and the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.