News and ViewsT ri-V alley Conser vancy Preserving Land for Future Generations bullfrog, tadpole and sunfish quantities between the first and second phases. As future phases are completed, we hope to see continued declines in the invasive species’ populations, coupled with increased sightings or signs of California Red-legged frogs. ” So next time you are in the area, take some time and see if you can spot a California Red-Legged Frog. And if you happen to see a bullfrog instead- you know who to call! Most tri-valley residents probably don’t know alien carnivorous bullfrogs were lurking on the beautiful banks in Sycamore Grove Park . ese bullfrogs were taking over the land, making it harder for the native California Red-legged frog to survive. In the fall of 2002, the Livermore Area Recreation & ParkDistrict (LARPD) adopted the Sycamore Grove Park Resource Management Plan (RMP). is plan set a goal to “promote healthy populations of common and special-status wildlife species through… adaptive management practices that enhance the park’s ability to support these species”. 1 e plan identified the California red- legged frog as one of those species. e LARPD conducted two phases in the Bullfrog Control Project. In phase one, parkrangers temporarily lowered the water level in a pond. Brave rangers caught the almost unwieldybullfrogs by net or by hand, disposing of them and removing over a thousand tadpoles. Native species such as the California Red-legged frog and the Western Pond turtle were preserved while infiltrators such as the bullfrog and the sunfish were disposed of. Two years later, when phase II was conducted, scientists observed onlyhalf as many bullfrogs, and less than a dozen tadpoles. e sunfish had completely disappeared and another positive sign: our red-legged friends seemed larger on average. e United States Fish and Wildlife Service has labeled Sycamore Grove as one of the “core areas” that has the potential and capacity to allow for long-term population of our red-legged friends. e Bullfrog Control Project was carried out expresslyfor that purpose. Patti Cole, LARPD park ranger comments, “We are very pleased with the results of this project so far. We are also very intrigued with the dramatic negative impact on Bullfr og Busters by Nichole Gehmlich Bull FrogPhoto provided by LARPD Ranger Staff “What’s the use of a house if you haven’tgot a tolerable planet to put it on?”Henry David oreau 1. Sycamore Grove and Veterans Regional Park Resource Management Plan, Adopted November 13, 2002. 2. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Portland, Oregon, viii + pp. Summer 2006
