Coastside wetlands may soon be declared as crucial red-legged frog habitat—comments close July 14

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal that more than 4 million acres be designated as crucial habitat areas for the California red-legged frog will close for comments July 14. The areas to be designated include coastal watersheds in San Mateo County, including Pescadero Marsh, and Elkhorn Slough in Santa Cruz County.

The frog, which inspired Mark Twain’s "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", was classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 1996 because of the loss of its habitat. According to the Santa Cruz Sentinal the numbers in Elkhorn Slough’s largest ponds has dropped from around 300 to 20.