- Thirty-five Years of the Endangered Species Act
- A Recovery Plan Begins to Flower
- Silvery Minnows Return to Texas
- Recovering a Strange, Elusive Gravedigger
- Reintroducing Rare Beetles to Ohio
- The Cemetery and the Clover
- Groundbreaking Research for the Nihoa Millerbird
- Climbing the Learning Curve of Short-tailed Albatross Recovery
- Cross-border Conservation in Sonora and Arizona
- The Razorback Sucker: Back from the Brink
- Stepping Up Recovery for the Houston Toad
- Hungry Goats Restore Bog Turtle Habitat
- A Challenging Future for the Black-footed Ferret
- Black-footed Ferrets Return to Kansas
- Two California Butterflies Wing Toward Recovery
- The Newell’s Shearwaters of Kilauea Point
- Showy Indian Clover Reintroduction Project
- Restoring the Oregon Chub
- Corps of Engineers Aids Missouri River Wildlife
- Central Valley Project Funds Recovery
- Using Section 7 as a Recovery Tool
- Hawaiian Petrel Faces Uncertain Future
- Endangered Species Day is a Success!
- Partners Protect Habitat for Rare Salamander
Partners Protect Habitat for Rare Salamander
Photo Credit: David Pereksta
By Roger Root
The recovery of one of California’s most imperiled species, the endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum), took a dramatic step forward in May 2007 when a key 55-acre (22-hectare) property supporting this species was acquired through the collaborative efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Board, the Trust for Public Land, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander occurs only along a 25-mile (40-kilometer) stretch that spans the coastal region of southern Santa Cruz and northern Monterey counties. For many years, the property near Watsonville in Santa Cruz County was a top conservation priority for the Service and CDFG. It contains a pond that provides important breeding habitat for the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander and the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii). The property supports a variety of habitats, including rare coastal terrace prairie, thriving oak woodlands, annual grassland, coyote bush scrub, arroyo willow riparian, sedge-dominated wetland, and redwood forest. The southwestern pond turtle (Clemmys marmorata pallida) and yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia brewsteri) are two other riparian species that will benefit directly from this effort. Acquisition of the property, near other important habitat in the Ellicott National Wildlife Refuge, also fits into a larger, continuing multiple-partner planning process for the entire Watsonville Slough watershed.
The acquisition will contribute to the recovery of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander by protecting potential upland habitat from development. It will also provide an opportunity for habitat enhancement, such as the creation of additional breeding ponds for the salamander, California red-legged frog, and other sensitive species. Future management of the property will include research and environmental education.
The property was acquired by The Trust for Public Land for $1.8 million. The Wildlife Conservation Board contributed $1.55 million, and the Service provided the other $250,000 through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund’s Recovery Land Acquisition grant program.
Roger Root, Assistant Supervisor for the South Coast Division of the Service’s Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, can be reached at 805-644-1766, ext. 336, or roger_root@fws.gov.
