Frog and snake life outside Pacifica is good

Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 3/1/12. "District finds success in frog comeback, La Honda preserve rehabilitated for amphibians, rangers."

"Red-legged frogs, San Francisco garter snakes and even a couple park rangers can all claim a new home at the La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve as part of plans to rehabilitate the old ranchland. Buoyed by the success of a pilot project last year, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is ramping up plans to convert the old cattle ponds into habitat for the endangered frogs and snakes. Meanwhile, the open-space district is also advancing plans to restore an old farmhouse as a home for rangers.

"Don't let one of those giants step on you!"

The La Honda preserve has about 25 ponds that are still being used as a water source for the hundreds of cows that graze the grassy hillsides. Those ponds could also provide an attractive spot for endangered red-legged frogs to lay their eggs.  

Starting back in 2010, the district’s planners fixed a failing pond that leaked, causing it to annually lose the water needed to sustain frog eggs. One year later, the district biologists counted about a dozen red-legged frog hatchlings. Those early results galvanized the district to quickly restore other ponds. “I’m just blown away that it was a success in the first year,” said MROSD biologist Julie Andersen. “Before, it was like a red-tagged house. Now we’re putting in the comforts to make it a home.”

On Feb. 22, 15 volunteers revisited the restored pond to tear out invasive thistles and shrubs and replace them with frog-friendly grasses. The garden work took place in a fenced-off area the size of a tennis court that is being set aside specifically for the frogs. The area was surrounded by barbed wire to prevent cattle from chomping on the native grasses and also included four cover boards meant to someday encourage a comeback of the San Francisco garter snake. Read more. 

Reference  La Honda Open Space Preserve and Creek Master Plan.

Posted by Kathy Meeh