Photo by John Cleckler/USFWS
SUBMITTED ARTICLE
CALIFORNIA — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a recovery plan for the Central California distinct population segment of the California tiger salamander. The species is currently federally listed as threatened, but has high potential for recovery.
The goal of the recovery plan is to reduce the threats to the Central California tiger salamander to ensure its long-term viability in the wild and to allow for its removal from the Endangered Species list.
Recovery plans are not regulatory documents; rather they provide guidance and voluntary planning for how to best help listed species recover. The Service worked closely with state and local partners on the plan, including California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It reflects feedback from peer review and public comments.
The plan includes targets for protecting aquatic and upland habitat, as well as sufficient funding for management and monitoring of the protected habitat. Any individual, public or private organization, or government agency can voluntarily contribute to the recovery of the Central California tiger salamander by implementing activities outlined in the plan.
The Central California tiger salamander is found in Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Sacramento, San Benito, San Mateo, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Solano, Tulare, Tuolumne and Yolo counties.
The salamander is a large, dark and stocky amphibian that spends most of its life underground in the burrows of small mammals like gophers and ground squirrels. It migrates from burrows across grasslands to seasonal vernal pools, taking advantage of the small ponds to breed and rear their young. Raptor species (e.g., owl and red-tail hawk) and vernal pool-dependent species (e.g., western spadefoot toad and vernal pool tadpole shrimp) will also benefit from the plan.
For more information, go to fws.gov/sacramento.
