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This program is authorized by the National Park Service.
The Crater Lake Natural History Association, INC is partnering with the Oregon Zoo Foundation to save a rare species.
Saving the Mazama newt
There’s only one place on earth to find the Mazama newt: Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park. But this unique amphibian is at risk of disappearing forever. That’s why the Oregon Zoo has partnered with Crater Lake National Park and the High Desert Museum to help save this rare species.
Invasive signal crayfish have taken over all of the newt’s habitat. Before signal crayfish were introduced to the lake as a food source for non-native fish, the Mazama newt was a top predator in Crater Lake, helping to keep the ecosystem in balance. Now, signal crayfish threaten that balance by attacking Mazama newts, devouring their food sources and driving them into open water where they are eaten by trout.
In 2025, the zoo established a first-of-its-kind program to breed Mazama newts in a special lab located on zoo grounds. These newts will be released back into Crater Lake to restore the population. Meanwhile, the zoo is working with the National Park Service and other partners to find a long-term solution to the crayfish problem.
Funds from this donation will support the Oregon Zoo Mazama newt conservation breeding program for release into Crater Lake.
This will include:
Learn more here: https://www.oregonzoo.org/animals/mazama-newt
Note: Donations are in $1.00 increments. Please change the quantity to however much you would like to donate. Thank you!
Photo Caption: A mazama newt photographed in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. © Oregon Zoo / photo by Michael Durham
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