The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking information relevant to a proposal to list the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog as a threatened species.

The Foothill Yellow-legged Frog (Rana boylii) inhabits lower elevation creeks, streams and rivers throughout the Klamath, Coast, Sierra Nevada and formerly the Transverse ranges of California. They can be found in a variety of habitat types such as chaparral, oak woodland, mixed coniferous forest, riparian sycamore and cottonwood forest, as well as wet meadows.

In December 2016, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to formally list the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act. The listing petition described a variety of threats to the survival of Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs in California. These include direct and indirect impacts associated with dams, water diversions and development, invasive species, disease, climate change and other activities such as marijuana cultivation, timber harvest, mining, recreation, road building and urbanization. The Commission followed CDFW’s recommendation and voted to advance the species to candidacy on June 21, 2017. The Commission published findings of this decision on July 7, 2017, triggering a 12-month period during which CDFW will conduct a status review to inform the Commission’s decision on whether to list the species.

As part of the status review process, CDFW is soliciting information from the public regarding the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog’s ecology, genetics, life history, distribution, abundance, habitat, the degree and immediacy of threats to reproduction or survival, adequacy of existing management and recommendations for management of the species. Comments, data and other information can be submitted in writing to:

California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Attn: Laura Patterson
1812 Ninth St.
Sacramento, CA 95811

Comments may also be submitted by email to wildlifemgt@wildlife.ca.gov. If submitting comments by email, please include “Foothill Yellow-legged Frog” in the subject heading.

All comments received by Aug. 31, 2017 will be evaluated prior to submission of the CDFW report to the Commission. Receipt of the report will be placed on the agenda for the next available meeting of the Commission after delivery and the report will be made available to the public at that time. Following the receipt of the CDFW report, the Commission will allow a 30-day public comment period prior to taking any action on CDFW’s recommendation.

The Center for Biological Diversity’s listing petition and CDFW’s petition evaluation for the Foothill Yellow-legged Frog are available at fgc.ca.gov/CESA/index.aspx#fylf.