Foothill Yellow-legged Frog
Rana boylii
Photo: Ivan Parr
Introduction
Status
Ecological Requirements
RCIS Regions: Gabilan Range and Pinnacles National Park, Outer Coast Range
RCIS Natural Communities: Riverine, Riparian (CDFW 2000b, 2019)
Occupies a diverse range of ephemeral and permanent streams, rivers, and adjacent terrestrial stream margins various vegetation types, including valley-foothill hardwood, valley-foothill hardwood-conifer, valley-foothill riparian, mixed chaparral, and wet meadows (Hayes et al. 2016)
Prefers partly shaded, shallow streams and riffles with a rocky substrate in a variety of habitats (CDFW 2020; Hayes et al. 2016)
Breeding and rearing habitat: Gently flowing, low-gradient stream sections with variable substrates predominantly composed of cobble and boulder (Hayes et al. 2016)
Rarely encountered far from permanent water (CDFW 2000b); however, the entire watershed/stream network is used.
Information lacking on threats such as fire management and livestock grazing (Hayes et al. 2016)
Threats include water development and modifications, predators, pathogens, nitrates, and other contaminants
Full species account available: Foothill yellow-legged frog conservation assessment in California (Hayes et al. 2016)
RCIS Conservation Target: Highest (very rare clade in RCIS area, limited distribution of breeding habitat)
Associated Non-Focal Species
Range and Modeled Habitat
Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment
Foothill yellow-legged frog (FYLF) is estimated to be at “neutral risk” from climate change across the state (Wright et al. 2013), based on the likely persistence of current populations through 2050 and the amount of currently climatically suitable habitat likely to remain suitable. Projections indicate that in 2050 most of the currently climatically suitable habitat in the RCIS area is likely to remain suitable. Despite these projections, increased frequencies in extreme weather may have negative impacts (Hayes et al. 2016). Extended droughts and changes to precipitation patterns may lead to further changes to flow regimes (Hayes et al. 2016). Changes in air and water temperatures may lead to increases in disease prevalence and virulence and to decreased prey availability (Hayes et al. 2016).
Conservation Strategies
Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Goals, Objectives, and Actions
There are 49 proposed actions. For complete goals, objectives and actions explanations see the complete table of conservation strategies in the RCIS PDF.
Species Goals, Objectives, and Actions
Goal FYLF 1
Promote persistence of foothill yellow-legged frog populations in the RCIS area through protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat.Objective FYLF 1.2
Enhance occupied and suitable foothill yellow-legged frog habitat throughout in the RCIS area. Measure progress towards achieving this objective in the acres of aquatic habitat, adjacent upland habitat, and adjacent/equivalent acres enhanced and occupied by foothill yellow-legged frog.Action FYLF 1.2.1
Investigate impacts of potential threats where information is lacking such as fire management and livestock grazing and identify and implement adjustments to management of these practices where needed (Hayes et al. 2016).
Goal FYLF 2
Support stability and recovery of foothill yellow-legged frog populations in the RCIS area through measures to reduce direct mortalityObjective FYLF 2.2
Reduce pathogen-related mortality. Measure progress toward achieving this objective by the reduction of disease-related foothill yellow-legged frog deaths detected, compared to present day.Action FYLF 2.2.1
Monitor for diseases that affect foothill yellow-legged frog populations and implement management actions to reduce their transmission and impact on the species.
Action FYLF 2.2.2
Sterilize all equipment entering known or suitable California red-legged frog breeding habitat, to prevent introduction of disease.
Action FYLF 2.2.3
Monitor known and potential breeding habitats for presence of pathogens, through traditional and environmental DNA (eDNA) methods.
Regional Goals, Objectives, and Actions
Goal RC 1
Sustain resilient, connected natural communities for the full range of native species, habitats, and ecological functions in the RCIS area through the protection of large blocks of continuous habitat supporting sensitive species.Objective RC 1.1
Protect and preserve existing intact non-marine habitats and resources and allow for expansion of habitat by protecting suitable or occupied habitat. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by the number of acres of habitat and adjacent/associated acres protected.Action RC 1.1.1
Acquire parcels with suitable habitat through fee title purchase or conservation easement.
Action RC 1.1.2
Conduct surveys using eDNA and/or traditional survey methods in suitable or potentially suitable habitat to locate undocumented occurrences of focal species and other conservation elements and opportunities for habitat protection, enhancement, restoration, and creation (USFWS 2008).
Action RC 1.1.3
Create and sustain long-term funding for protected areas maintenance.
Action RC 1.1.4
Establish an incentive program for private landowners to protect occurrences and manage habitat.
Action RC 1.1.5
Protect populations from impacts from construction, vegetation management, and/or activities, including by surveying areas such as roads/trails and implementing species protection measures.
Objective RC 1.2
Enhance occupied and suitable habitat. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by number of acres of habitat enhanced and/or occupied.Action RC 1.2.1
Manage current and future recreation access including off-road vehicles, biking, equestrian, foot traffic, and unleashed pets to reduce impacts and disturbance to sensitive species and habitats. Ensure recreation is compatible with suitable and future potentially suitable habitat and adjacent areas, and areas of known occurrences. Enforcement and fencing may be used to prevent illegal off-road vehicle use (USFWS 2010).
Action RC 1.2.10
Work with private landowners and stakeholders to research species biology, threats, populations, densities, and/or ranges.
Action RC 1.2.11
Create/enhance connections between ecologically required habitat types, such as between aquatic breeding and upland dispersal habitats.
Action RC 1.2.2
Control non-native invasive species from occupied and/or suitable habitat, and areas designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as critical habitat throughout the RCIS area.
Action RC 1.2.3
Reduce/eliminate pesticide, rodenticide (especially first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides), and herbicide use, including for roadside vegetation removal projects as part of integrated pest management efforts in identified suitable habitat, and sensitive natural communities. Promote alternative pest reduction methods, such as promoting natural predator populations (Ventura County Public Works Agency 2017).
Action RC 1.2.4
Minimize impacts from native and non-native predator populations that have increased due to anthropogenic factors, including through educational outreach and trainings on how to safely coexist with native predators and predator removal programs where appropriate.
Action RC 1.2.5
Reduce anthropogenic impacts on habitat, including infrastructure construction and maintenance, inappropriate grazing, uncontrolled grazing, or overgrazing, off-road vehicles, foot traffic, fire suppression, recreational development and activities, non-native plants, and sand mining
Action RC 1.2.6
Manage infrastructure construction and maintenance projects, including transportation, solar energy facilities and projects on military properties, to be compatible for sensitive species.
Action RC 1.2.7
Manage grazing, including the installation of wildlife-friendly fencing, to ensure it is compatible with suitable and future potentially suitable habitat and adjacent areas, and areas of known occurrences. Grazing in sensitive natural communities, public lands should be reduced.
Action RC 1.2.8
Reduce trash dumping in areas with suitable and future potentially suitable habitat and adjacent areas, and areas of known occurrences.
Action RC 1.2.9
Enhance and restore native vegetation in occupied habitat and suitable but unoccupied habitat.
Goal RC 2
Promote persistence of species and important natural communities through the establishment and improvement of habitat connectivity in the RCIS area.Objective RC 2.1
Establish and improve habitat connectivity between large blocks of suitable habitat. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by the number of improved connectivity corridors used by sensitive species.Action RC 2.1.1
Install, repair, and improve infrastructure, such as adding large culverts, under crossings, overcrossings, bridges, directional fencing, scuppers, barrier breaks, roadside animal detection systems, sound barriers, limiting lighting at constructed or natural linkages and remove existing barriers to promote wildlife movement and reduce road mortality (Yap and Rose 2019). Focus on areas with high numbers of vehicle-related mortality, areas with high Area of Conservation Emphasis Terrestrial Connectivity rankings and include areas to create corridor redundancy.
Action RC 2.1.2
Enhance habitat on either side of crossing structures, including protecting adjacent areas, restricting human activity nearby, etc.
Action RC 2.1.3
Create and sustain long-term funding for long-term management of crossings, including acquisition and maintenance of adjacent habitat where suitable.
Action RC 2.1.4
Work with transportation districts or others to collect and analyze roadkill data to identify hotspots where mortality occurs to inform the design of wildlife crossing infrastructure improvements (Yap and Rose 2019).
Water Goals, Objectives, and Actions
Goal Water 1
Improve conditions of water resources, aquatic and riparian habitats, and connectivity throughout the RCIS area through enhancement and restoration.Objective Water 1.1
Improve freshwater aquatic and riparian habitat conditions in areas with sensitive species and habitats. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by the improvement and restoration of aquatic and riparian conditions (inundation duration, water depth, water chemical composition, stream substrate composition and/or stream characterization, habitat structure, native species diversity, percent cover), water quality, and connectivity of water resources.Action Water 1.1.1
Reduce water pollutants such as fine sediments, pesticides, herbicides, sewage effluent, and other non-point and point source waste discharges, including through development and implementation of stormwater policy and infrastructure.
Action Water 1.1.2
Improve/ remove barriers to fish passage throughout RCIS area, includes ground truthing and monitoring all assumed fish passage barriers.
Action Water 1.1.3
Improve quality of wetland habitats and create new wetland habitats, including through invasive species control, increased water period, and recontouring to enhance proper elevation, etc.
Action Water 1.1.4
Improve quality of riparian habitats and create new riparian habitats, focusing on temperature profiles and appropriate substrate, especially considering areas of expected climate change impacts and future range.
Action Water 1.1.5
Minimize impacts to water resources from construction, military activities, and agricultural practices.
Action Water 1.1.6
Reduce introduction of sediments in creek channels from bank erosion, livestock grazing, timber harvestings, unpaved roads and trails, and recreation.
Action Water 1.1.7
Improve and expand existing riparian and upland buffers and create new buffers where they are lacking around stream and wetland habitats, as well as connectivity corridors between heterogeneous habitats. A qualified biologist and the best available science should determine buffer distances.
Action Water 1.1.8
Preserve and protect intact aquatic and riparian resources where protection is lacking.
Objective Water 1.2
Improve appropriate hydrology and hydrological functions to support sensitive species and habitats. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by the improvement of hydrological indicators such as water depth, stream flow, water temperature and chemical composition.Action Water 1.2.1
Moderate extreme water temperature fluctuations by controlling water flow regimes downstream of impoundments, water diversions, and residential or industrial developments.
Action Water 1.2.2
Ensure releases from water storage and diversion facilities maintain surface flows necessary for all life history stages of sensitive species (NMFS 2013).
Action Water 1.2.3
Maintain appropriate management of flood-control activities (both routine and emergency) to be compatible with sensitive species (NMFS 2013).
Action Water 1.2.4
Restore hydrological functions of waterways to mimic natural flow, temperature regimes, and sediment loads where feasible (Hayes et al. 2016).
Action Water 1.2.5
Develop and implement operating criteria to ensure the pattern and magnitude of groundwater extractions and water releases provide essential ecological functions.
Amphibian Goals, Objectives, and Actions
Goal Amphibian 1
Promote persistence of amphibian populations in the RCIS area through habitat protection, restoration, and enhancementObjective Amphibian 1.1
Enhance occupied and suitable habitat for focal amphibians throughout the RCIS area. Measure progress towards achieving this objective by the acres of habitat and adjacent/associated acres enhanced and/or occupied.Action Amphibian 1.1.1
Manage for suitable vegetation structure surrounding breeding and upland habitat to support appropriate vegetative cover for breeding and amphibians.
Action Amphibian 1.1.2
Manage grazing (e.g., fencing, seasonal timing, stocking rates) and wildfire fuel reduction practices to benefit amphibians.
Action Amphibian 1.1.3
Reduce/eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, petroleum products, and other chemicals near breeding and upland habitats, including collaboration with mosquito abatement divisions to prevent negative impacts from mosquito abatement activities (USFWS 1999, 2019a). Wildlife-friendly alternative, such as installation of bat boxes and nesting boxes for insectivorous birds, near ponds and wetlands could provide insect control.
Action Amphibian 1.1.4
Reduce sources of sedimentation (e.g., bank erosion, livestock grazing, timber harvestings, unpaved roads and trails, and recreation) near known and potential breeding ponds and remove excess sedimentation where feasible (USFWS 2019a).
Action Amphibian 1.1.5
Remove non-native aquatic species such as bullfrogs, mosquitofish, other non-native predatory fish, and non-native turtles from breeding ponds, stream segments, and artificial ponds (USFWS 2002). This includes managing hydrology to decrease suitability for non-native species. Removal of non-native upland species, such as trapping of feral pigs (Sus scrofa), will protect ponds/wetlands and listed amphibian species (Seward et al. 2004).
Action Amphibian 1.1.6
Manage for appropriate ephemeral breeding pond hydrology and phenology.
Action Amphibian 1.1.7
Work with private landowners of known breeding locations to promote positive management of those sites, including maintaining natural hydrology, limiting non-native species, and conducting appropriate management of upland habitats (USFWS 2009).
Action Amphibian 1.1.8
Manage breeding pond hydrology to control for aquatic predator populations.
Objective Amphibian 1.2
Restore occupied and suitable habitat and create new habitat. Measure progress towards achieving this objective in acres of habitat and adjacent/associated acres restored or created habitat and number of breeding ponds.Action Amphibian 1.2.1
Establish native emergent and other biologically suitable vegetation in suitable ponds and wetlands to provide cover where little or none exists.
Action Amphibian 1.2.2
Establish native vegetation with suitable density and structure in upland habitats within dispersal distance of known breeding locations.
Action Amphibian 1.2.3
Create suitable breeding habitat, such as artificial perennial and/or ephemeral ponds within the dispersal distance of known breeding locations.
Action Amphibian 1.2.4
Create suitable upland habitat within dispersal distance of known and suitable breeding habitat.