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Red-Legged Frog May Lose Habitat Under New Fish and Wildlife Plan

Posted on: Friday, 18 November 2005, 09:00 CST

By Julia Scott, STAFF WRITER

HALF MOON BAY -- For years, finding a threatened California red- legged frog or its habitat on a property has restricted development.

Under a proposal issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this month reducing the frog's critical habitat throughout the state by 80 percent, large swaths of land in San Mateo County are no longer considered crucial for the amphibian's survival.

Some 3.4 million acres have been cut from the statewide list, leaving 59,000 acres in San Mateo County -- about a quarter of what was previously designated.

Local officials are uncertain about what the move could mean for property owners, particularly on the coast, where previously protected areas have been reclassified.

Developed areas of Half Moon Bay have disappeared from the agency's map of proposed habitat zones, as have parts of Montara Mountain, a stretch of land between La Honda Road and Pescadero Beach, and nearby Pescadero Creek County Park and Butano State Park, according to officials.

In 2001, the agency labeled nearly all the land west of Skyline Boulevard critical habitat -- about 218,000 acres.

Much of the coast is still part of that designation. The 15,000- acre Cahill Ridge area west of Skyline is also included, as are two parcels in eastern San Mateo County.

Jim Nickles, spokesman for the Fish and Wildlife Service's Sacramento office, said that the frog would still be protected as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. He said that the changes would allow the agency to protect the species more efficiently, working directly with property owners.

"There's lots of things we're doing to recover the species. Critical habitat is a very expensive, time-consuming, litigious process," said Nickles.

Agency biologists found that developed areas, such as Half Moon Bay, no longer had significant frog populations. They also excluded public parks, such as Butano State Park near Pigeon Point Lighthouse, on the grounds that these already had management plans that protect the species.

"Even though there may be documented occurrences, we don't believe those areas are essential to the conservation of the species," he said.

Two large coastal developments have been omitted from the proposed habitat list in San Mateo County. Both have red-legged frogs.

The Devil's Slide tunnel bypass project along Highway 1 south of Pacifica, now in its first stages, has had to fence off several swampy zones in the midst of its construction site where the frogs were discovered.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is soliciting public comments on the proposed changes until Feb 1. Written comments should be sent to the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W. 2605. Sacramento, 95825 or via e-mail: fw1crlf@fws.gov.

Source: Oakland Tribune

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