United States Department of Agriculture YOSEMITE TOAD CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT A Collaborative Inter-Agency Project Forest Pacific Southwest R5-TP-040 January Service Region 2015 YOSEMITE TOAD CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT A Collaborative Inter-Agency Project by: USDA Forest Service California Department of Fish and Wildlife National Park Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Technical Coordinators: Cathy Brown USDA Forest Service Amphibian Monitoring Team Leader Stanislaus National Forest Sonora, CA [email protected] Marc P. Hayes Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Research Scientist Science Division, Habitat Program Olympia, WA Gregory A. Green Principal Ecologist Owl Ridge National Resource Consultants, Inc. Bothel, WA Diane C. Macfarlane USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region Threatened Endangered and Sensitive Species Program Leader Vallejo, CA Amy J. Lind USDA Forest Service Tahoe and Plumas National Forests Hydroelectric Coordinator Nevada City, CA Yosemite Toad Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-040 January 2015 YOSEMITE TOAD WORKING GROUP MEMBERS The following may be the contact information at the time of team member involvement in the assessment. Becker, Dawne Davidson, Carlos Harvey, Jim Associate Biologist Director, Associate Professor Forest Fisheries Biologist California Department of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Studies Program Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 407 West Line St., Room 8 College of Behavioral and Social Sciences USDA Forest Service Bishop, CA 93514 San Francisco State University 1200 Franklin Way (760) 872-1110 1600 Holloway Avenue Sparks, NV 89431 [email protected] San Francisco, CA 94132 (775) 355-5343 (415) 405-2127 [email protected] Boiano, Daniel [email protected] Aquatic Ecologist Holdeman, Steven J. Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks Easton, Maureen A. Forest Aquatic Biologist 47050 Generals Highway District Wildlife Biologist Stanislaus National Forest Three Rivers, CA 93271 Carson Ranger District USDA Forest Service (559) 565-4273 Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 19777 Greenley Road [email protected] USDA Forest Service Sonora, CA 95370 1536 South Carson Street (209) 532-3671 x311 Bolster, Betsy (retired) Carson City, NV 89701 [email protected] Staff Environmental Scientist (775) 884-8151 (Statewide Coordinator for Conservation [email protected] Jennings, Mark R. of Amphibians and Reptiles) Herpetologist/Fishery Biologist California Department of Fish and Wildlife Eddinger, Holly Rana Resources Wildlife Branch USDA Forest Service P.O. Box 2185 Nongame Wildlife Program Ecosystem Conservation Department, Davis, CA 95617-2185 1812 9th St. Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, (530) 753-2727 Sacramento, CA 95811 35 College Drive [email protected] (916) 445-3684 South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 [email protected] (530)543-2633 Kleinfelter, John California Department of Fish and Wildlife Brown, Cathy Elliott, George 1234 East Shaw Ave. Monitoring Team Leader Wildlife Biologist (retired) Fresno, CA 93710 Sierra Nevada Amphibian Monitoring Eldorado National Forest (559) 243-4005 x164 Program USDA Forest Service [email protected] USDA Forest Service 100 Forni Road Stanislaus National Forest Placerville, CA 95667 Kling, Jason E. Mailing Address: Zone Fish Biologist Pacific Southwest Research Station Epanchin, Peter Carson Ranger District 800 Buchanan Street Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Albany, CA 94710 University of California, Berkeley USDA Forest Service (510) 559-6433 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building 1536 South Carson Street [email protected] Berkeley, CA 94720 Carson City, NV 89701 [email protected] (775) 884-8192 Carlson, Ann D. [email protected] District Ranger Graber, David (retired) Eagle Lake Ranger District Chief Scientist, Pacific West Region Knapp, Roland Lassen National Forest Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks Associate Research Biologist 477-050 Eagle Lake Road National Park Service Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab Susanville, CA 96130 47050 Generals Highway University of California (530) 257-4188 Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651 1016 Mount Morrison Road [email protected] (559) 565-3173 Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 [email protected] (760) 647-0034 Conway, Laura [email protected] Wildlife Biologist Grasso, Robert (Currently on Lewis and Clark National Park Aquatic Ecologist Lehr, Stafford Forest) Yosemite National Park Senior Fisheries Biologist Formerly: 5083 Foresta Rd. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Stanislaus National Forest El Portal, CA 95318 1701 Nimbus Rd., Suite A USDA Forest Service (209) 379-1438 Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 19777 Greenley Road [email protected] (530) 626-3687 Sonora, CA 95370 [email protected] (209) 532-3671 x311 i i Yosemite Toad Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-040 January 2015 YOSEMITE TOAD WORKING GROUP MEMBERS Continued Lind, Amy J. Pert, Edward Werner, Harold Hydroelectric Coordinator California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Ecologist Tahoe and Plumas National Forests Habitat Conservation Planning Branch Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks USDA Forest Service 1416 Ninth St., 12th Floor 47050 Generals Highway 631 Coyote St. Sacramento, CA 95814 Three Rivers, CA 93271 Nevada City, CA 95959 (916) 651-8689 (559) 565-3123 (530)-478-6298 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Sadinski, Walter Williams, Jann O. Macfarlane, Diane Research Ecologist Fisheries Biologist Threatened and Endangered Species Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Eldorado National Forest Program Leader Center USDA Forest Service USDA Forest Service USDI Geologic Survey 100 Forni Road Pacific Southwest Region 2630 Fanta Reed Road Placerville, CA 95667 1325 Club Drive La Crosse, Wisconsin 54603 (530) 621-5240 Vallejo, CA 94592 (608) 781-6337 [email protected] (707) 562-8931 (608) 781-6066 [email protected] [email protected] Wilson, Genny E. District Ranger Martin, David Smith, Aimee L. Supervisor’s Office Canorus Ltd. Rangeland Management Specialist Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 5669 Snell Ave. #297 Sierra National Forest USDA Forest Service San Jose, CA 95123 USDA Forest Service 1200 Franklin Way (925) 989-7617 57003 Road 225 Sparks, NV 89431 [email protected] North Fork, CA 93643 (775) 882-2766 (559) 877-2218 x3151 [email protected] Martin, Jacob [email protected] Carlsbad Caverns National Park 3225 National Parks Hwy. Smith, Dennis E. Carlsbad, NW Region 5, RHAT Fisheries Biologist (575) 785-3100 Natural Resources Management [email protected] Region 5, Regional Office USDA Forest Service Milano, Gary (retired) 1325 Club Drive Wildlife Biologist Vallejo, CA 94592 Inyo National Forest (916) 930-3995 351 Pacu Lane, Suite 200 [email protected] Bishop, CA 93514 [email protected] Strand, Philip (retired) Fisheries Program Manager Milliron, Curtis Environmental Management Staff Senior Biologist, Specialist Sierra National Forest California Department of Fish and Wildlife USDA Forest Service 407 W. Line Street 1600 Tollhouse Road Bishop, CA 93514 Clovis, California 93611 (760) 872-3058 (559) 297-0706 x4883 [email protected] [email protected] Perrot, Laurie Thompson, Steve Environmental Coordinator Branch Chief Supervisor’s Office Wildlife Management Division Tahoe National Forest Yosemite National Park USDA Forest Service National Park Service 631 Coyote Street P.O. Box 700 W P.O. Box 6003 El Portal, CA 95318 Nevada City, CA 95959 (209) 379-3261 (530) 478-6244 [email protected] [email protected] ii Yosemite Toad Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-040 January 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS Yosemite Toad Working Group Members ____ i Conservation Options and Key Information Gaps ____________________ 74 Executive Summary _____________________ iv Acknowledgments ______________________ 76 Dedication _____________________________ 1 English Equivalents ______________________ 77 Introduction ____________________________ 2 The Purpose of this Conservation Assessment 2 Metric Equivalents_______________________ 77 Mission 3 Conservation Assessment Tasks Identified by the Working Group 4 Glossary _______________________________ 78 Geographic Scope of This Assessment 4 Agency Direction for Species Conservation 4 Literature Cited _________________________ 80 Document Organization 9 Ecology ________________________________ 10 Appendix 1: Systematics and Taxonomy 10 Museum Standard Symbolic Codes _________ 102 Description 11 Habitat Requirements 11 Life History 14 Appendix 2: Population Dynamics 17 Status – Administrative Units ______________ 103 Movement 19 Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit 103 Feeding 20 Eldorado National Forest 103 Mortality 21 Stanislaus National Forest 105 Key Ecological Factors to Yosemite National Park 106 Consider for Species Conservation 23 Sierra National Forest 109 Inyo National Forest 110 Status _________________________________ 25 Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest 112 Prior to 1980 25 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 114 Post-1980 26 Appendix 2 Literature Cited 115 Conclusions about Status 31 Appendix 3: Risk Factors Study Plan for SNFPA ROD Affecting the Status of the Species _________ 32 Survey Requirements ____________________ 117 Acid Deposition 32 Airborne Contaminants, Including Pesticides 34 Climate Change 37 Disease 38 Fire Management, Including Fire Suppression 42 Habitat Loss, Urbanization, and Fragmentation 44 Introduced Fish and Other Predators 45 Livestock Grazing 46 Locally Applied Pesticides 51 Recreational Activities Including Packstock Grazing 53 Research Activity 56 Restoration 57 Roads 58 UV-B