Rahul Somvanshi
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed protecting 760,071 acres of land for California’s foothill yellow-legged frogs. These small amphibians, known for their yellow belly and underside of their rear legs, have disappeared from more than half of their natural homes across California’s streams and rivers.
The protection plan covers four main areas where these frogs still live: the Sierra Nevada mountains, North Feather River region, Central Coast, and South Coast. The Sierra Nevada region gets the largest protection at 307,772 acres, while the South Coast has 10,077 acres marked for protection.
These frogs face serious challenges in the wild. Dams change their stream homes by altering water flow. Wildfires burn through their habitats. Urban growth takes over their living spaces. They also battle with non-native species moving into their territory, deal with diseases, and face harm from pesticides used nearby.
“This is good news for these little lemon-legged frogs, which will get protections for the most important rivers, creeks and adjacent areas where they live,” says Jeff Miller from the Center for Biological Diversity. Miller points out that these frogs play a key role in keeping stream ecosystems healthy along California’s coast and mountain foothills.
The protection effort shows promise through current projects. One success story comes from Plumas National Forest, where the Oakland Zoo and several partner organizations have released more than 250 zoo-raised frogs back into the wild. These kinds of efforts help rebuild frog populations in their natural homes.
Michael Fris, who leads the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, explains the careful balance in this plan: “Establishing critical habitat is one step we can take to support the amphibian’s recovery.” The office designed the plan to protect the frogs while allowing necessary activities like forest fire prevention to continue.
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About half of the protected land sits on federal property, managed by agencies like the U.S. Forest Service. For private landowners, the new rules only apply when their projects use federal money or permits. Some areas get special consideration – Fort Hunter Liggett military base won’t face these rules because it already has a wildlife protection plan in place.
The government wants to hear public opinions on this plan through March 17, 2025. Anyone interested can share their thoughts through www.regulations.gov under docket number FWS-R8-ES-2023-0157.
These frogs live in partially shaded, rocky streams that flow year-round, where they time their life cycle with seasonal stream conditions. Their protection helps preserve the natural balance of these water systems, which benefits the surrounding environment.
