Endangered Species Recovery PlanAn Endangered Species Recovery Plan is a document describing protocols for protecting and enhancing rare and endangered species populations.

Section 4(f) of the USA's Endangered Species Act of 1973 directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans to promote the conservation of endangered or threatened species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service are responsible for administering the Act. The recovery plan specifies what research and management actions are necessary to support recovery, but do not themselves commit manpower or funds. They are used in setting funding priorities and provide direction to local, regional, and State planning efforts.

As of 2009, 1132 species in the U.S. have an active Recovery Plan. This program is a precursor of Biodiversity Action Plans recognized as important to the international community in the year 1992.

The California Red-legged frog that once ranged from Point Reyes to Baja

California is now estimated to have disappeared from about 70% of its range

in California. It is currently listed as a threatened species and is protected

under California law. It is the largest frog native to western United States.

Drafted by Jaime Pagmanua

California Red-legged Frog

National Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Endangered Species Day

Mark Twain’s favorite amphibian, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” is none other than the California red-legged frog. Once so common it was a staple cuisine, California’s largest native frog has now lost 90 percent of its historic population. Thanks to Center litigation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated more than 4.1 million acres of critical habitat in 2001, but a building-industry lawsuit caused the agency to withdraw that decision — and even after Center intervention and a federal proposal to re-designate the original acreage, the Service protected only 450,288 acres.

Lifespan: up to 10 years

Range: California, along the coast from Mendocino county to northern Sacramento Valley, and Sierra Nevada mountains

Habitat: humid forests, woodlands, grasslands, streamsides, lowlands and foothills near ponds

Appearance: brown, grey, olive or reddish color with dark, irregular blotches on its body (you can tell if it is a male by their enlarged forelimbs, thumbs, and webbing)

Breeding: occurs from November to March

Size: 1 ¾ - 5 ¼ inches

Diet: wide variety of invertebrates and small vertebrates such as fish, mice, frogs, and salamanders larvae

Major Threats to CRF HabitatUrban encroachment- building of homes and other urban buildings can fragment and eliminate the CRF’s habitat; can also change the ecosystem of the area. Timber Harvesting/ Mining- can contribute to the ruin of stream and riparian habitat by changing the vegetation that acts as covering located at the streamside. Can increase sedimentation, change runoff patterns, and introduce potentially harmful contaminants to the aquatic environment. Livestock grazing- can compromise the suitability of the habitat by depleting water from breeding habitats,

Endangered Species Recovery PlanAn Endangered Species Recovery Plan is a document describing protocols for protecting and enhancing rare and endangered species populations.

Section 4(f) of the USA's Endangered Species Act of 1973 directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans to promote the conservation of endangered or threatened species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service are responsible for administering the Act. The recovery plan specifies what research and management actions are necessary to support recovery, but do not themselves commit manpower or funds. They are used in setting funding priorities and provide direction to local, regional, and State planning efforts.

As of 2009, 1132 species in the U.S. have an active Recovery Plan. This program is a precursor of Biodiversity Action Plans recognized as important to the international community in the year 1992.

Rana draytonii