Linda Reese - May 31, 2025

We're always looking for stories of cool women doing interesting work, so at the suggestion of our friends at Oregon Wildlife Foundation, we recently spent some time with Jane Hartline on her Sauvie Island farm near Portland, Oregon. A quick online search will tell you Jane has been described as a weed warrior, a walking encyclopedia of plants, a volunteer wrangler, and a true friend of turtles. But what we wanted to talk to Jane about was frogs. To be more specific: a population of Northern Red-legged frogs which spend most of their lives in Portland's Forest Park. But these frogs need to lay their eggs in water, and there just isn't a suitable pool in the park. That's where Jane comes in, and the story gets really interesting.

You run a frog taxi service? Tell us more.

The frog taxi got started 10 years ago when a group of us were going into town for a meeting about invasive ivy in Forest Park, and on the drive in, we saw that Highway 30 was just covered with frogs trying to make their way from Forest Park to the Harborton wetland during breeding season. Unfortunately, a lot of them were getting squished by cars, so we decided to do something about it!

Now we have more than 100 volunteers working on the project. We have a team of 15 people for each night of the week. I'm the volunteer coordinator and I do recruitment and training. Our volunteers are really committed -- they commit to their weekly volunteer night for the whole season, which runs from early December to mid-March. The frogs might not move for several weeks if it's too cold, but then one night it will warm up and rain, and then it's go time! We intercept them before they get to the highway, gently scoop them up into buckets, and drive them down to the wetlands. We release them and say, "Have fun at the orgy! We'll see you when you're ready to come back!" When we notice them starting to make their way back up to the forest, we do the whole thing in reverse to make sure they get back safely.

We're happy to be working with the Oregon Wildlife Foundation on this project (learn more about the red-legged frog project here on the OWF website). Their support is helping us make a difference for this population of about 2000 red-legged frogs. Red-legged frogs are considered a sensitive species because of declining population numbers, so we're trying to save as many of them as we can. We've also been able to gather 10 years of data related to this population of frogs. We share all of that with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, so the project has far-reaching benefits.

What did you do before you started shuttling red-legged frogs?

I went to journalism school and majored in advertising. I started my career working for a newspaper, then had a few stints in state government jobs, but my heart was always with conservation, animals, and plants. That's what I've always really cared about. When the Marketing Director job with the Oregon Zoo came along I said, "That's my job!" That job was a great fit for me because I got to work on so many conservation projects.

I retired from the Oregon Zoo after 29 years, and have continued to work on conservation-related projects in retirement. I work on the Backyard Habitat Program, which is a program that supports the creation and expansion of urban natural habitats. I love the program because it's an easy way for lots of people to help make the world a better place. I started Sauvie Island Natives, a native plant nursery where we sell Northwest native plants. I work with the Oregon Native Turtle Working Group. I also work on a variety of projects with the Coalition for Oregon Land Trusts, including a huge project with botanists doing botanical surveys for land trusts in Oregon.

You seem pretty busy. Are you sure you're retired?

I actually don't think it should be called retirement. It should be called something like "liberation" because I just don't know many retired people who are truly retired. If they were busy people before they retired, they're even busier now. That's been the beauty of retirement --- you kind of find your real job -- or it finds YOU. Who knew I was going to do all of these different projects in my retirement? I did not necessarily set out to do this, but I wouldn't change a thing.

What's a typical day like for you?

I'm an early riser. I get up and get all my computer work done, order plants, and that kind of thing. During the day, I like to be outside. I really love that the people who come to our native plant nursery are motivated to do the right thing and learn as much as they can. I love that I can help people solve problems and choose native plants that will work for them. It's almost like a game.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

A veterinarian. So I guess wanting to help animals is nothing new for me. I grew up in a small town, and my relatives had farms where I got to spend a lot of time exploring. I was around animals a lot and just loved that.

Any advice for young people interested in getting into a field like yours?

I always tell young people to find an organization they like and volunteer. It's hard to get into a field with no experience, and there are so many opportunities to volunteer and do something good while you learn. It's a great way to try something out and see if it's a good fit for you.

What do you always have in your pockets?

My phone. Plant tags. On frog taxi nights, I'll have a thermometer and maybe a small flashlight.

Any thoughts on the Maven X Dovetail Workwear pants you've been wearing?

I love that they fit so well. I haven't even used all the pockets -- there are so many! I'm not used to having pockets on my regular pants, so it's really nice to have pockets that can actually hold things. And it's just really important to be comfortable when you're doing work like I do. It's hard to get things done when you're uncomfortable. Nobody has time for that.