Department of the Interior
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
California-Nevada Operations Office
2800 Cottage Way, W-2606
Sacramento CA 95825
00-143
Contacts:
Patricia Foulk/Curt McCasland, Sacramento, California - 916/414-6600
Lois Grunwald/Carl Benz, Ventura, California - 805/644-1766
Jane Hendron/Douglas Krofta Carlsbad, California - 760/431-9440
September 8, 2000
CRITICAL HABITAT PROPOSED FOR
CALIFORNIA RED-LEGGED FROG
Hearings set for Sacramento, Dublin, San Luis Obispo & Ventura
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–In response to a court order, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed to designate critical habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog. This native amphibian is widely believed to have inspired Mark Twain’s fabled short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
About 40 percent of the 5.4 million acres proposed is in public ownership and managed by either Federal, state or local government entities. The remainder of the acreage is in private ownership. The lands are located in the following 31 counties: Alameda, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Marin, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Plumas, Riverside, San Benito, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Tuolumne, Ventura and Yuba.
Critical habitat refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management considerations. These areas do not necessarily have to be occupied by the species at the time of designation. A designation does not set up a preserve or refuge and has no impact on landowners taking actions on their land that do not involve Federal funding or permits. Federal agencies must consult with the Service before taking actions, issuing permits or providing funding for activities that might affect critical habitat.
"We are currently evaluating the economic effects of the proposed designation and seeking public input in the decision process," said Michael J. Spear, the Service’s California-Nevada Operations Manager. "Although the time is short because of a court order, we want to give the public every opportunity to participate in this important conservation decision. This designation will help the species by ensuring Federal agencies and the public alike are aware of the habitat needs of this species and that proper consultation is conducted when required by law."
Although the Service’s proposal covers 5,373,650 acres of critical habitat within 31 units, not all areas within the proposed critical habitat units have habitat features that would require Federal agencies to consult with the Service. For example, existing shopping centers, roads and similar features do not contain specific habitat features that the frog needs. These types of man-made structures are included within the proposed boundaries for critical habitat because of the difficulty of mapping at a scale minute enough to exclude all such areas. However, these developed areas are not being designated as critical habitat.
Amphibians, which appear to be in decline worldwide, are good indicators of significant environmental changes that may otherwise be undetected by biologists. Humans breathe through lungs, internal organs that are protected from direct contact with air and water. Amphibians, however, breathe partly (and, in some species, completely) through their skin, which is constantly exposed to the environment. Their bodies are much more vulnerable and sensitive to disease, pollution, toxic chemicals, radiation and habitat destruction. If frogs are in decline because of environmental changes, it may be a matter of time before other species are affected, including humans.
The California red-legged frog was listed as threatened in 1996, under the Federal Endangered Species Act. At the time of the listing, the Service concluded that designation of critical habitat was not prudent for the frog because such designation would not benefit the species and could make it more vulnerable to increased acts of habitat vandalism, destruction or unauthorized collection.
In March 1999, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, on behalf of the Jumping Frog Research Institute, the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation, filed a lawsuit in the Northern California District Court against the Service and the Secretary of the Interior for failure to designate critical habitat for the California red-legged frog. In December 1999, the Court ordered the Service to propose critical habitat for the species by August 31, 2000 and to issue a final rule by December 29, 2000.
The largest native frog in the western United States, the California red-legged frog ranges from 1.5 to 5 inches in length. An adult frog is distinguished by its unique coloring: an olive, brown, gray or reddish back marked by small black flecks and larger dark blotches and a rusty-red hue to its belly and the undersides of its hind legs. The species breeds in aquatic habitats such as streams, ponds, marshes and stock ponds. During wet weather, frogs may move through upland habitats.
The historic range of the California red-legged frog extended coastally from the vicinity of Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California, and inland from the vicinity of Redding, Shasta County, California, south to northwestern Baja California, Mexico. The frog has sustained a 70 percent reduction in its geographic range in California as a result of habitat loss and alteration, overexploitation, and introduction of exotic predators. Today, the California red-legged frog is found primarily in coastal drainages of central California. Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties support the greatest amount of currently occupied habitat. Only four areas within the entire historic range of this species may currently harbor more than 350 adults.
A complete description of the Service’s proposed critical habitat designation for the California red-legged frog will be published in the September 11, 2000 Federal Register. Copies of the proposal will be available after publication by contacting the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office at the address below. The proposal will also be available at the following website: http://www.r1.fws.gov. Comments are invited until October 11, 2000, and need to be submitted to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825. Comments may also be submitted electronically by sending them to the following address: fw1crfch@fws.gov
The Service will hold four public hearings on this proposed action. Here is the schedule of dates and locations for the hearings, which will be held in two sessions – 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.
Tuesday, September 19 - Holiday Inn Ventura, 450 East Harbor Blvd., Ventura
Thursday, September 21 - Embassy Suites, 333 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo
Tuesday, September 26 - Best Western Monarch Hotel, 6680 Regional St., Dublin
Thursday, September 28 - Holiday Inn Sacramento Northeast, 5321 Date Ave., Sacramento
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 525 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
– FWS –
Proposed California Red-Legged Frog Critical Habitat Units
(1 Megabyte .pdf file)
Unit 1 North Fork Feather Unit - drainages associated with the North Fork Feather River, including watersheds within Bucks Creek, Grizzly Creek, Mayoro Creek, Rock Creek, Three Lakes and Lower Yellow Creek, some 202,450 acres in Butte and Plumas counties. The Plumas and Lassen national forests manage 86 percent of this proposed unit.
Unit 2 South Fork Feather Unit - drainages within watersheds of the South Fork Feather and Yuba rivers. For the South Fork Feather these include Lewis Flat, Oroleve Creek and Rock Creek; and watersheds that flow into the Yuba River are Indian Creek, Brushy Creek and Gold Run. This 56,840-acre unit is in Butte, Plumas, Sierra and Yuba counties. Approximately 50 percent of this unit is managed by Plumas National Forest.
Unit 3 Weber Creek-Cosumnes Unit - drainages found within watersheds of Weber Creek and the North Fork Cosumnes River in El Dorado County. Ringold, South Fork Weber, North Fork Weber and China creeks form the Weber Creek portion of this unit. Watersheds that form the North Fork Cosumnes portion include Clear Creek, North Steely Creek, Jenkinson Lake, Headwaters Camp Creek, Snow Creek, North Canyon, Van Horn Creek, Capps Crossing, Leek Spring Valley, Hazel Creek and North Sly Park Creek. Approximately 46 percent of this 79,970-acre unit is within the El Dorado National Forest.
Unit 4 South Fork Calavares River Unit - watersheds that form Lower O’Neill Creek, Dirty Gulch, Old Gulch, Middle San Antonio Creek, Indian Creek and Upper San Domingo Creek in Calaveras County. Some 65 percent of this 10,910-acre unit is in private ownership and 35 percent is managed by Federal agencies.
Unit 5 Yosemite Unit - drainages of the Tuolumne River and Jordan Creek watersheds in Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. There are 466,940 acres in this unit, 92 percent of which is managed by Stanislaus National Forest or the National Park Service.
Unit 6 Headwaters of Cottonwood Creek Unit - drainages of the headwaters of Cottonwood and Red Bank creeks in Tehama County. The unit consists of the watersheds that form Bear Gulch, Long Gulch, Maple Creek, Cracker Canyon, Panther Gulch, Buck Creek, Devils Hole Gulch, Elkhorn Creek, Slides Creek, Buck Creek, Harvey Creek and Sulpher Creek in the Cottonwood Creek drainage and watersheds that form Jackass Canyon, Little Grizzly Creek, Sunflower Gulch, Red Bank Creek and Alder Creek in the Red Bank Creek drainage. There are approximately 119,600 acres in this unit; roughly 51 percent of this acreage is within the boundaries of the Mendocino National Forest and the majority of the remaining area is privately owned.
Unit 7 Cleary Preserve Unit - drainages found within the watersheds that form the tributaries to Pope Creek in Napa County. Some 11 percent of this 35,280-acre unit is managed by Federal or state agencies while the remainder is privately owned.
Unit 8 Annadel State Park Preserve Unit - drainages within and adjacent to Annadel State Park in Sonoma County. The unit is approximately 12,130 acres. The California Department of Parks and Recreation manages 14 percent of this unit, with the remaining lands in private ownership.
Unit 9 Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve Unit - drainages within and adjacent to Stebbins Cold Canyon Preserve and the Quail Ridge Wilderness Preserve in Napa and Solano counties. There are roughly 22,860 acres in this unit. Approximately 71 percent of these lands is privately owned, and the remainder is managed by the University of California Natural Reserve System, the Quail Ridge Wilderness Conservancy, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Unit 10 Sears Point Unit - two watersheds–Stage Gulch and the Lower Petaluma River–both tributaries to the Petaluma River. The unit, as its name implies, is located in and adjacent to Sears Point in Sonoma and Marin counties and encompasses approximately 24,570 acres, of which 85 percent is privately owned.
Unit 11 American Canyon - watersheds within and adjacent to American Canyon and Sulphur Springs creeks in Napa and Solano counties. The unit encompasses approximately 39,000 acres and 99 percent of the area is privately owned.
Unit 12 Point Reyes Unit - watersheds within and adjacent to Bolinas Lagoon, Point Reyes, and Tomales Bay in Marin and Sonoma counties. This unit encompasses approximately 208,840 acres. Forty-eight percent of this unit is privately owned; the remaining 52 percent is managed by the National Park Service, California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Marin Municipal Water District.
Unit 13 Tiburon Peninsula Unit - the Belvedere lagoon watershed within and adjacent to the Tiburon Peninsula in Marin County. Some 85 percent of this 6,320-acre unit is privately owned.
Unit 14 San Mateo-Northern Santa Cruz Unit - coastal watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean within San Mateo County and northern Santa Cruz County, tributaries that form the watersheds of Pescadero, San Gregorio, San Mateo and Corte Madera creeks in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. Some 15 percent of this 324,280-acre unit is managed by the San Francisco Public Utilities District and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, while the remainder of the unit is privately owned.
Unit 15 East Bay-Diablo Range Unit - tributaries of San Lorenzo, Alameda, Kellogg , Marsh, Corral Hollow Creek--Orestimba, Coyote, Pacheco, Romero, Ortigalita, Los Banos, and Panoche creeks, and the San Benito River in Contra Costa, Alameda, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, Stanislaus, San Benito, Merced and Fresno counties. The unit encompasses approximately 1,129,050 acres. Some 86 percent of this area is privately owned; the remaining 14 percent is managed in part by East Bay Regional Park District, East Bay Municipal Utilities District, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, California Department of Parks and Recreation, San Francisco Public Utilities District, California Department of Fish and Game, Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Department of Water Resources.
Unit 16 Pajaro River Unit - two watersheds that partially form the Pajaro River Drainage--the Flint Hills watershed and the Santa Clara Valley watershed in Santa Clara and San Benito counties. All of the 50,400-acre unit is privately owned.
Unit 17 Elkhorn Slough-Salinas River Unit - coastal drainages of southern Santa Cruz County (Aptos, Soquel, Hinckley and Bates creeks), Elkhorn Slough and the watersheds that form its tributaries, the watersheds of the lower Pajaro River, including Sargent Creek, Corralitos Lagoon, Soda Lake, and the mouth of the Pajaro River. The 190,140-acre unit is located in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties. About 93 percent of the area is privately owned, while the remaining 7 percent is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Institute.
Unit 18 Carmel River Unit - drainages comprising the Carmel River watersheds in Monterey County. Some 32 percent of this 161,380-acre unit is managed by the Los Padres National Forest and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. The remaining lands are privately owned.
Unit 19 The Pinnacles Unit - two watersheds, Gloria Lake and George Hansen Canyon, in San Benito and Monterey counties, some 28,330-acres. The National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management manage 56 percent of this unit and the remainder is privately owned.
Unit 20 Estrella River/Cholame Creek Unit - drainages comprising the Cholame Creek, Estrella River, and the Saw Tooth Ridge watersheds in Monterey, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties, a total of 399,310 acres. Ninety-nine percent of this unit is privately owned.
Unit 21 San Simeon Unit-Morro Bay Unit - coastal watersheds of San Luis Obispo County from Arroyo de la Cruz south to Los Osos Creek in San Luis Obispo County. This unit comprises 229,030 acres, 94 percent of which is privately owned.
Unit 22 Lopez Lake-Arroyo Grande Creek - drainages that comprise the watersheds forming tributaries to Arroyo Grande Creek, including Los Berros Creek, Tarspring Creek, Guaya Canyon, Carpenter Canyon, Wittenberg Creek, Clapboard Canyon, Vasquez Creek, Big Falls Canyon, Nipomo Mesa and Cienega Valley in San Luis Obispo County. Eighty percent of this 89,350-acre unit is privately owned and the remaining 20 percent is managed by the Los Padres National Forest and the Bureau of Land Management.
Unit 23 Coastal Dunes Unit - coastal watersheds comprising the coastal dune ponds from Arroyo Grande south to San Antonio Creek in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. The unit encompasses approximately 108,250-acres; roughly 49 percent of the unit is managed by Federal, state and local municipalities (primarily the Department of Defense and the California Department of Parks and Recreation), with the remaining 51 percent in private ownership.
Unit 24 Santa Ynez River Unit - watersheds that form the Santa Ynez River in Santa Barbara County. There are 289,270-acres in this unit, of which 41 percent is managed by the Bureau of Reclamation and Los Padres National Forest while the remaining 59 percent consists of private lands.
Unit 25 Sisquoc River Unit - drainages of the Sisquoc River in Santa Barbara County. These include watersheds that form Cherokee Spring, Ernest Blanco Spring, Horse Canyon, La Brea Creek, Manzano Creek, Peach Tree Spring and the Lower Sisquoc River. The Los Padres National Forest manages about 55 percent of this 136,550-acre unit and the remaining 45 percent is privately owned.
Unit 26 Coastal Santa Barbara Unit - coastal tributaries in the Bear Creek Watershed east to the Ellwood Canyon Watershed in Santa Barbara County. Some 36 percent of this 139,470-acre unit is managed either by Los Padres National Forest or the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Unit 27 Matilija-Sespe-Piru Creek Unit - watersheds that comprise portions of the Matilija, Sespe and Piru Creek drainages in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The Los Padres National Forest manages about 96 percent of this unit, which encompasses 370,030-acres, while the remaining area is privately owned.
Unit 28 San Francisquito-Amargosa Creek Unit - drainages that consist of San Francisquito and Amargosa creeks in Los Angeles County. These watersheds include Lancaster Rock, Creek, Acton, Bouquet Eastern, Mint Canyon, and Sierra Pelona. The unit encompasses approximately 206,960 acres. Fifty-five percent of the unit is privately owned and the remaining 45 percent is primarily managed by the Angeles National Forest.
Unit 29 Malibu Coastal Unit - upper coastal watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean near Malibu in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. These watersheds include West La Virgenes Canyon, Lindero Canyon, Sherwood, Triunfo Canyon, East La Virgenes Canyon and Monte Nido. Approximately 77 percent of the 74,030-acre unit is privately owned, with the remaining areas managed in part by the National Park Service, California Department of Parks and Recreation and local municipalities.
Unit 30 Santa Rosa Plateau/Santa Ana Mountains Unit - includes portions of the watersheds comprising the Santa Rosa Plateau in Riverside County, including Deluz Creek, Murrieta, and San Mateo Canyon watersheds in San Diego County. The unit encompasses 61,770 acres, of which 66 percent is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, approximately 30 percent is privately owned (including a portion belonging to The Nature Conservancy); the remaining lands are owned by the State of California.
Unit 31 Tujunga Unit - this unit consists of the Tujunga watershed in Los Angeles County. The unit encompasses approximately 89,660-acres of which approximately 94 percent is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, approximately 6 percent is privately owned.
Photo credit: Mark Jennings
Background/Life History:
The California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) is the largest native frog in the western United States, ranging in size from 1 ½ to 5 inches. The bodies of adult females are approximately one-inch longer than those of adult males.
The belly and hind legs of adult frogs are often red or salmon pink; the back is characterized by small black flecks and larger dark blotches on a background of brown, gray, olive or reddish-brown.
California red-legged frogs have been found from sea level to about 5,000 feet and may be found in a variety of habitats. The frogs breed in aquatic habitats such as streams, ponds, marshes and stock ponds. During wet weather, frogs may move through upland habitats. Frogs spend considerable time resting and feeding in riparian habitat. They mostly eat invertebrates and feed at night.
California red-legged frogs are relatively prolific breeders, usually laying egg masses during or shortly following heavy rainfall in late winter or early spring. Females can lay between 2,000 and 5,000 eggs in a single mass. The eggs are attached to bulrushes or cattails.
It takes between 6 to 14 days for the eggs to hatch and approximately 3.5 to 7 months for the tadpoles to develop into frogs. The highest rates of mortality for this species occur during the tadpole stage: less than 1 percent of eggs hatched reach adulthood.
Tadpoles and young frogs hunt day and night. This constant activity makes them visible, and, consequently, more vulnerable to predators. Pacific tree frogs and California mice make up the majority of this species’ diet, with insects comprising the rest.
Historically, the California red-legged frog was found in 46 counties. Today only 23 counties support known populations of the frog, a loss of 70 percent of its former range.
Amphibians worldwide appear to be on the decline. If frogs begin showing signs of distress, it may be only a matter of time before other species are affected, including humans. Amphibians are good "indicators" of significant environmental changes that may go initially undetected by humans. Humans breathe through lungs, which are inside their bodies and thus protected from direct contact with air and water. Amphibians, however, breathe partially (and in some species, completely), through their skin, which is constantly exposed to the environment. Their bodies are much more vulnerable and sensitive to factors such as disease, pollution, toxic chemicals, radiation and habitat destruction. The worldwide occurrences of amphibian declines and deformities may be an early warning to us of serious ecosystem imbalances.
A good source for learning more about amphibians and efforts underway to halt their decline, is on the worldwide web at
http: frogweb.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions about the California red-legged frog and critical habitat
Why is the California red-legged frog threatened? Over the last two decades, scientists have noted a widespread decline of frogs and other amphibian species, the causes of which aren’t fully understood. The decline of the California red-legged frog is attributed to the spread of exotic predators such as bullfrogs, and changes that have fragmented habitat, isolated populations and degraded streams. Its decline signals a loss of diversity and environmental quality in wetlands and streams that are essential to clean water and to the survival of most fish and wildlife species.
What is being done to save the California red-legged frog? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the California red-legged frog as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act in May 1996.
The draft recovery plan for the California red-legged frog was released for public review in May 2000. The strategy for recovery will involve protecting existing populations by reducing threats; restoring and creating habitat that will be protected and managed in perpetuity; surveying and monitoring populations and conducting research on the biology of, and threats to, the species; and reestablishing populations of the species within the historic range.
What is critical habitat? Critical habitat is a term used in the Endangered Species Act. It refers to specific geographic areas that are essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management considerations. Areas not occupied by the species may be designated if these areas are essential to the conservation of the species.
Critical habitat is determined using the best available scientific and commercial information about the physical and biological needs of the species. These needs include: space for individual and population growth, and for normal behavior; food, water, light, air, minerals or other nutritional or physiological needs; cover or shelter sites for breeding, reproduction and rearing of offspring, and habitat that is protected from disturbance or is representative of the historical and ecological distribution of a species.
What is the purpose of designating critical habitat? Critical habitat benefits listed species by identifying habitat that is essential to their conservation, and by making sure Federal activities don’t affect the conservation of the species.
How will the proposed designation of critical habitat affect Federal agencies that undertake, permit, or fund projects? Section 7 of the Act requires Federal agencies to consult with the Service on actions they authorize, fund or carry out that may affect critical habitat. Through this consultation process, the Service can ensure that permitted actions don’t change (adversely modify) critical habitat in such a way that it no longer can meet the physical and biological needs of the species. We also analyze actions to determine if they may adversely affect or jeopardize a listed species. The requirement to consult with the Service applies to all lands that have been identified as critical habitat where Federal agencies, permits or funding are involved.
Are all 5.4 million acres critical habitat? While we are proposing approximately 5,362,930-acres of critical habitat for the California red-legged frog, not all the areas within these broad boundaries contain the specific habitat features required by the frog, and thus, not all areas will require Federal agencies to consult with us. We would require consultations only where the physical and biological features necessary to the species’ survival exist. For example, existing houses, shopping centers and similar development don’t provide specific habitat for the frog, but are in some places within the proposed boundaries of the designation because of limitations in our ability to map the boundaries at a finer scale.
Do listed species in critical habitat areas receive more protection? An area designated as critical habitat isn’t a refuge or special conservation area. Listed species and their habitats are protected by the Endangered Species Act whether or not they are in an area designated as critical habitat.
What protection does the California red-legged frog currently receive as a listed species? The Endangered Species Act forbids the import, export, or interstate or foreign sale of protected animals and plants without a special permit. It also makes "take" illegal-- forbidding the killing, harming, harassing, possessing or removing of protected animals from the wild. Federal agencies must consult with the Service to ensure that projects they authorize, fund or carry out aren’t likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any endangered or threatened species, or result in the destruction or adverse modification of designated critical habitat.
Permits may be issued by the Service for activities that are otherwise prohibited under the Act, if these activities are for scientific purposes or to enhance the propagation or survival of the affected species, or for "take" that is incidental to otherwise lawful activities.
In addition, the Endangered Species Act requires that Federal agencies not only take action to prevent further loss of a species, but also pursue actions to recover species to the point where they no longer require protection and can be delisted.
Does the designation of critical habitat create preserves? No. The designation of critical habitat doesn’t affect land ownership or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve or other special conservation area. It doesn’t allow government or public access to private lands, and won’t result in closure of the area to all access or use.
What happens if my private property is designated critical habitat for the California red-legged frog? The designation of critical habitat on privately-owned land doesn’t mean the government wants to acquire or control the land. Activities on private lands that don’t require Federal permits or funding aren’t affected by a critical habitat designation. Critical habitat doesn’t require landowners to carry out any special management actions or restrict the use of their land. However, the Act prohibits any individual from engaging in unauthorized activities that will actually harm listed wildlife. That prohibition is in effect for any federally listed wildlife, with or without designated critical habitat.
If a landowner needs a Federal permit or receives Federal funding for a specific activity, the agency responsible for issuing the permit or providing the funds would consult with us to determine how the action may affect the California red-legged frog or its designated critical habitat.
Is an economic analysis required as part of designating critical habitat? Yes. We must take into account the economic impact of identifying any particular area as critical habitat. We may exclude an area from critical habitat if we determine that the benefits (economic and otherwise) of excluding it outweigh the benefits of including the area as critical habitat, unless the failure to designate the area as critical habitat would result in the extinction of the species. This determination is based on the best scientific, economic and commercial information available. This economic analysis will be completed before the final critical habitat designation is finalized.
Was an economic analysis prepared when the Service listed the California red-legged frog as a threatened species? No. Under the Act, a decision to list a species is made solely on the basis of scientific data and analysis. Critical habitat designation is the only process where economics may be taken into consideration.
Is critical habitat designated for all listed species? No. The Service has designated critical habitat for 124 of the 1,232 species currently listed as threatened or endangered. The Act requires us to identify critical habitat at the time a species is listed. However, in some cases, designating critical habitat may be considered "not prudent" if it would cause harm to the species, such as increasing the possibility of collection or vandalism. Or we may find that such a designation is "not determinable" if we don’t have enough information where a species is listed to define areas as critical habitat. Recently, there have been a number of lawsuits based on our failure to designate critical habitat.
On March 24, 1999, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, on behalf of the Jumping Frog Research Institute, the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Sierra Nevada Conservation, filed a lawsuit against the Service for failure to designate critical habitat for the California red-legged frog. The court ordered the Service to issue a proposal by August 31, 2000, and to issue a final rule by December 29, 2000.
What lands are included in this designation? We are proposing to designate critical habitat on Federal and non-Federal public lands and privately-owned lands. Approximately 40 percent of the lands are publicly owned and 60 percent are in private ownership.
What about lands where HCPs are being developed or will be developed in the future? The proposed designation of critical habitat shouldn’t impede ongoing or future HCP efforts. The long-term conservation of the California red-legged frog will be addressed as these plans are being developed.
How will the final designation of critical habitat affect activities for which a party has already consulted with the Service under section 7 of the Act? Federal regulations require agencies to reinitiate consultation with the Service on previously reviewed actions if critical habitat is designated after the initial consultation, and if those actions may adversely affect critical habitat. This applies only if those agencies have retained some type of involvement or control over the action, or if such involvement is authorized by law. Federal agencies may request to reinitiate consultation with us if a project is likely to affect or adversely modify proposed critical habitat.
What happens if a project is reviewed as part of a reinitiation of consultation and the Service determines it will adversely modify critical habitat? It is highly unlikely that any activity reviewed and permitted by the Service under section 7 of the Act, prior to the designation of critical habitat, will be changed because critical habitat is now proposed for the area. When reviewing projects under section 7, we must determine if the proposed action will "jeopardize the continued existence" of a species by asking the question "will the project significantly reduce the likelihood of the species’ survival and recovery?" A project that will "destroy or adversely modify" critical habitat is one that will significantly reduce the value of critical habitat for the survival and recovery of the species. Regardless of whether critical habitat has been designated, we must still consider the effect a project may have on the continued existence or recovery of a listed species.
Will the public be given an opportunity to comment on proposed critical habitat for the California red-legged frog? Yes. We want to ensure that any final action resulting from this proposal will be as accurate and as effective as possible. We’re actively soliciting comments or suggestions from the public, other governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry representatives and any other interested party. In particular, we’re seeking comments regarding:
Reasons why any habitat should or shouldn’t be designated critical habitat, including whether the benefits will outweigh any threats to the species resulting from critical habitat designation;
Specific information on the number and distribution of California red-legged frogs, what habitat is essential to the conservation of this species, and why it’s essential;
Land use practices and current or planned activities in the proposed areas, and possible impacts of these actions on proposed critical habitat;
Any foreseeable economic or other impacts resulting from the proposed designation of critical habitat; in particular, impacts to small entities or families and economic or other values associated with critical habitat designation for the California red-legged frog, and
How to deal with critical habitat within existing and future HCPs.
We may revise this proposal to incorporate or address new information received during the comment period. We’ll hold the public record open for 30 days to allow anyone with information on the proposed designation to participate in this process. During the public comment period, we’ll also conduct public hearings in the following California cities: Dublin, Sacramento, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura.
What types of activities might impact critical habitat for the California red-legged frog?. Activities that may destroy or adversely modify critical habitat if they appreciably reduce the value of critical habitat to the recovery of the species include those that alter the primary constituent elements to the extent that the value of critical habitat for both the survival and recovery of the California red-legged frog is appreciably diminished. Activities that negatively impact critical habitat may also jeopardize the continued existence of the species. These activities may include, but aren’t limited to:
Water transfers, diversion, or impoundment, groundwater pumping, irrigation, or other activity that causes barriers or deterrents to dispersal, inundates or drains habitat or significantly converts habitat (for example, conversion to urban development, vineyards, landscaping, etc.);
Recreational activities that significantly deter the use of suitable habitat areas by California red-legged frogs or alter habitat through associated maintenance activities (for example, off-road vehicle parks, golf courses and intensive hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails);
Sale, exchange or lease of suitable habitat that is likely to result in the habitat being destroyed or appreciably degraded;
Construction activities that destroy, fragment or appreciably degrade suitable habitat (for example, discharge of fill material; draining or ditching; construction of discharge pipes, storm water detention basins, urban development, or recreational facilities such as off-road vehicle parks and golf courses; operation of vehicles within aquatic habitat; road building; drilling; mining; quarrying; and associated reclamation activities);
Violation of discharge permits;
Burning, cutting or mowing of wetland or riparian vegetation, if conducted in an untimely or inappropriate manner, such as when California red-legged frogs would be killed or injured or their habitat rendered unsuitable.
Pesticide applications in violation of label restrictions;
Overgrazing of riparian habitats that facilitates streambank erosion and siltation; and
Discharges or dumping of toxic chemicals, silt or other pollutants such as sewage, oil and gasoline, into waters or riparian and upland habitat supporting California red-legged frogs.
If you have questions on specific activities that may or may not constitute destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat resulting from a Federal action, please contact the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, Endangered Species Division, at 916/414-6600 or write to the office at the following address: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825.
.More questions?
Call or write: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, Attn: Endangered Species Division, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento CA 95825. or phone: 916/414-6600.
The California
Red-Legged Frog
Rana aurora draytonii
Protected by the Endangered Species Act since May 1996.
The California red-legged frog is a threatened species. Threatened species are animals and plants that are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Identifying, protecting, and restoring endangered and threatened species is the primary objective of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species program.
What is the California red-legged frog?
The California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) is the largest native frog in the western United States. It is one of two subspecies of the red-legged frog found on the Pacific Coast.
The California red-legged frog once ranged across much of California, including mining country, where it is believed to be the title character of Mark Twain’s famed short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."
History:
The historic range of the California red-legged frog extended along the coast from the vicinity of Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, and inland from the vicinity of Redding, Shasta County, in California, southward to northwestern Baja California, Mexico.
The California red-legged frog was harvested for food in the San Francisco Bay area and the Central Valley during the late 1800s and early 1900s with approximately 80,000 frogs harvested annually. As the frogs become more rare, the market for them declined. Bullfrogs were introduced in California around 1896, to help satisfy the demand for frog legs as the red-legged frog population dwindled. Ironically, the native red-legged frog soon become prey for the much larger bullfrog, a threat to the red-legged frog’s existence that continues today.
At about the same time the frog began its decline, Central Valley wetlands and riparian habitats were being converted to agricultural land. Streams were denuded of riparian vegetation and channelized. These changes resulted in a loss of over 90 percent of historic wetlands with the majority of that loss occurring before 1939. California red-legged frogs were eliminated from the Valley floor by 1960. Those populations that remained in the Sierra Nevada foothills were separated from other populations and nearly eliminated from this area as a result of reservoir construction, introduction of exotic species, and drought.
In Southern California, urbanization with its resulting infrastructure, including road construction, channeling of streams, and reservoir construction had a devastating impact on red-legged frogs. Of the 80 sites known to have harbored this species historically in Southern California, today only one population can be confirmed–at a nature preserve in western Riverside County, which is managed by The Nature Conservancy.
Habitat:
Red-legged frogs require habitat consisting of both aquatic and riparian components. Adults utilize dense, shrubby or emergent vegetation closely associated with deep-water pools with fringes of cattails and dense stands of overhanging vegetation such as willows.
Adult frogs that have access to permanent water will generally remain active throughout the summer. In cooler areas they may hibernate in burrows or other refuges. Red-legged frog adults may move both up and down stream of their breeding habitat to forage and find refuge.
Range and Current Distribution:
California red-legged frogs have been eliminated from more than 70 percent of their historic habitat. Surveys indicate the frogs are present in about 10 percent of their historic locations.
The California red-legged frog is found primarily in wetlands and streams in coastal drainages of central California. Its historic range extended from Point Reyes National Seashore, coastally, and Redding, California, inland southward to northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Today they are known to occur in about 238 streams or drainages in 23 counties. Monterey, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara counties support the greatest amount of currently occupied habitat. Only four areas within the entire historic range of the subspecies may currently support more than 350 adults.
Life History:
The California red-legged frog ranges from 1.5 to 5 inches in length. The belly and hind legs of adult frogs are often red or salmon pink; the back is characterized by small black flecks and larger dark blotches on a background of brown, gray, olive or reddish-brown.
California red-legged frogs are relatively prolific breeders, usually laying egg masses during or shortly following large rainfall events in late winter or early spring. Females can lay between 2,000 and 5,000 eggs in a single mass. The eggs are attached to vertical emergent vegetation such as bulrushes or cattails.
It takes between 6 to 14 days for the eggs to hatch and approximately 3.5 to 7 months for the tadpoles to develop into frogs. The highest rates of mortality for this species occur during the tadpole stage; less than 1 percent of eggs hatched reach adulthood.
Tadpoles and young frogs thrive on invertebrates, which they catch with their mouths. They hunt day and night. This constant activity makes them visible, and, therefore, more vulnerable to predators. More than half of the diet of adult frogs consists of Pacific tree frogs and California mice; the rest is insects. Adults feed and are active largely at night.
Why is the California red-legged frog threatened?
Over the last two decades, scientists have noted a widespread decline of frogs and other amphibian species, the causes of which are not fully understood. The decline of the California red-legged frog is attributed to the spread of exotic predators such as bullfrogs, and changes that have fragmented, habitat, isolated populations, and degraded streams. Its decline signals a loss of diversity and environmental quality in wetlands and streams that are essential to clean water and to the survival of most fish and wildlife species.
What is being done to prevent extinction of the California red-legged frog?
Listing - The California red-legged frog was federally listed as a threatened species in May 1996.
Recovery Plan - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s draft recovery plan for the California red-legged frog was released for public review May 12, 2000. The strategy for recovery will involve protecting existing populations by reducing threats; restoring and creating habitat that will be protected and managed in perpetuity; surveying and monitoring populations and conducting research on the biology and threats of the species; and reestablishing populations of the species within the historic range.
Critical Habitat - The Fish and Wildlife Service is under court order to propose critical habitat for the California red-legged frog by August 31, 2000.
Questions?
Please contact the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way,
W-2605, Sacramento CA 95825-1846 or phone (916) 414-6600.