A foothill yellow-legged frog sits in a shallow edge of the Feather River in California.
Credit: Rebecca Fabbri/USFWS

January 13, 2025 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on a proposal to designate 760,071 acres of critical habitat for the four listed distinct populations segments of foothill yellow-legged frog in California.  

The Service is proposing to designate 192,275 acres of critical habitat for the North Feather population (threatened), 307,777 acres for the South Sierra population (endangered), 249,942 acres for the Central Coast population (threatened) and 10,077 acres for the South Coast population (endangered).

The Service used the best available science to identify only those areas that are essential to the conservation of the species.

The proposed critical habitat includes land along streams and other water bodies inhabited by the foothill yellow-legged frog, as well as nearby upland areas that are used by the amphibian for dispersal and shelter.

Approximately half of the proposed critical habitat falls on federal lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

The designation of critical habitat would not affect land ownership or establish a wildlife refuge, wilderness reserve, preserve or other conservation area. Private landowners only need to consider critical habitat if their activities involve federal funding or permitting.

A copy of the proposed rule will publish in the Federal Register on January 14, 2025, and can be found in the Reading Room today. The public can review the proposed critical habitat and provide public comment starting January 14, 2025, at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket Number FWS-R8-ES-2023-0157.  The comment period will close March 17, 2025.
Source: USFWS