For many decades no known California red-legged frogs or western pond turtles were found in their historic habitat within Yosemite Valley. Thankfully, that is changing due to a Park plan to reintroduce both species.
At a recent Yosemite Gateway Partners meeting, the Park superintendent was updating the attendees about various Park plans and projects. He casually mentioned that in response to a concern raised by “John Buckley/CSERC” during river plan meetings some years ago, the Park had been motivated to reintroduce both of the species back into their native habitat in Yosemite Valley.
During the Merced Wild and Scenic River planning process that stretched over many years, CSERC staff expressed strong frustration with the Park for keeping so many commercial and administrative operations in the ecologically precious Wild and Scenic corridor along the river in Yosemite Valley. We pointed out that too many visitors and far too much vehicle traffic as well as past management actions had all contributed to the loss of the frogs and turtles from the Valley. Whether or not CSERC’s concern was the reason, it is highly positive that the Park chose to launch a reintroduction program to try to restore both native species back into their Yosemite Valley habitat.
Thanks to generous funding from the Yosemite Conservancy, in June the first ten turtles with attached radio-transmitters were released in Yosemite Valley. Over the next 3 years, the Park also plans to release at least 4,000 CA red-legged frog tadpoles.
The CA red-legged frog (top picture courtesy of USFWS) features red on its belly and on the underside of its hind legs. Once abundant in the region, it has been wiped out across broad areas. Human and drought-caused effects as well as the introduction and spread of the predatory non-native bullfrog have all combined to eliminate the frog from ponds, lakes, rivers, and wet meadow habitat.
Western pond turtles can be a challenge to observe as they bask motionless on logs or slip silently into the water when possible danger is near. Turtles have declined drastically across the region over recent decades, suffering from a wide range of threats such as habitat loss, development, and drought effects on aquatic habitat. The Yosemite Conservancy funds are providing vital research and habitat restoration for the Park effort. The San Francisco Zoo and Gardens is raising CA red-legged frog tadpoles as well as pond turtles as a key part of the reintroduction program.