CGF: Take Action: Protect the CA tiger salamander

Urge Fish & Wildlife to protect tiger salamanders
Posted October 28, 2003 / Updated February 11, 2004

• What's happening
• Background on the tiger salamander
• What the Fish and Wildlife Service proposes
• What you can do

What's happening
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is now considering whether to list the "Central California" California tiger salamander (CTS) as endangered. Listing the local population of the CTS would extend Endangered Species Act protection to the tiger salamanders found in our part of the state and help protect local habitat.

While considering "listing" the CTS, Fish and Wildlife is also considering putting loopholes in the protection that would allow farming, vineyard, and ranching activities to harm the species.

Please take a minute to contact the US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and urge the listing of the Central California CTS, and the elimination of this loophole.

Background on the tiger salamander
Like salmon, steelhead, and the red-legged frog, the California tiger salamander has lost much of its habitat to urban and suburban development, as well as to ranching and farmland practices that have harmed their habitat. Because California tiger salamanders utilize both grasslands and wetland environments during their life cycle, they are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss or modification. Still, local populations remain at Stanford's Lake Lagunita and adjoining foothills, the Mount Hamilton Range in southern Santa Clara County, and elsewhere.

FWS has already protected these salamanders to the north and south of our area. Adding our local CTS population to the protected list would help ensure survival of the species throughout its current range, and would help defend the wetlands and foothills of San Mateo and Santa Clara County that provide salamander habitat.

What the Fish and Wildlife Service proposes
While FWS has suggested protecting the CTS as "threatened" (one step short of "endangered"), there is no guarantee that they will follow through and make the listing. We need to let them know that the public supports protections for this population of the salamander.

In addition, FWS has proposed a special "section 4(d) rule" to allow harming or killing salamanders via livestock grazing, disking of ranchlands, repairs and maintenance of stockponds, and weed eradication. While it's appropriate to accommodate ranching and farming, this could amount to unlimited harm for the salamanders and their habitat.

FWS should eliminate this loophole. It would be more appropriate to use a Countywide Habitat Conservation Plan such as that under consideration in Santa Clara County to help protect the CTS while also facilitating ranching and farming.

What you can do

1. Ask the USFWS to list the salamander.
Urge FWS to list the Central Valley California Tiger Salamander under the Endangered Species Act, and to eliminate the section 4(d) loophole for farming and ranching activities.

Please send your email or fax to the Fish and Wildlife Service today. Comments are due by Friday, October 31.

Protecting our tiger salamanders will help preserve this species for its own intrinsic value to our environment, and will also help preserve the habitat they use - which is, itself, becoming endangered.

Send your letters to:

Wayne S. White, Field Supervisor
Attn: CTS
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office
FAX (916) 414-6713
Email catiger@R1.fws.gov

Please send copies of your correspondence to our office (email or fax 650-968-8431) to help us track the efficacy of our efforts.

2. Learn more.
Read CGF's October 10, 2000 editorial in the Palo Alto Weekly regarding the local population of the salamander and the Stanford General Use Permit.

Read about the Endangered Species Act on the Fish and Wildlife website.

Learn more about the California Tiger Salamander.

3. Support Committee for Green Foothills.
Become a CGF member or make a donation.


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