United States Department of Agriculture MOUNTAIN YELLOW-LEGGED FROG CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT for the SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA, USA A Collaborative Inter-Agency Project Forest Pacific Southwest R5-TP-038 July 2014 Service Region Front cover photo by USDA Forest Service Sierra Nevada Amphibian Monitoring Program MOUNTAIN YELLOW-LEGGED FROG CONSERVATION ASSESSMENT for the SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS OF CALIFORNIA, USA 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 Marc P. Hayes Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Research Scientist Science Division, Habitat Program Olympia, WA Gregory A. Green Tetra Tech EC Bothell, WA Diane C. Macfarlane USDA Forest Service Threatened Endangered and Sensitive Species Program Leader Pacific Southwest Region Vallejo, CA Mountain Yellow Legged Frog Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-038 July 2014 Mountain Yellow-legged Frog Working Group The following may be contact information at the time of team member involvement in the assessment. Angermann, Jeffrey Buma, Gerrit Graber, David Postdoctoral Fellow District Conservationist Chief Scientist, Pacific West Region Department of Pharmacology Minden Service Center Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks University of Nevada School of Medicine Natural Resource Conservation Service National Park Service Reno, NV 89557 Hickey Building 47050 Generals Highway (775) 784-6275 1702 County Road, Suite A1 Three Rivers, CA 93271-9651 (775) 752-3394 (FAX) Minden, NV 89423-4460 (559) 565-3173 [email protected] (775) 782-3661 (559) 565-4283 (FAX) (775) 782-3547 (FAX) [email protected] Becker, Dawne [email protected] Associate Biologist Hopkins, Kristina California Department of Fish and Wildlife Byers, Stephanie Forest Fisheries Biologist 407 West Line St., Room 8 Fisheries Biologist Supervisor’s Office Bishop, CA 93514 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Plumas National Forest (760) 872-1110 1340 Financial Blvd., Suite 234 USDA Forest Service (760) 872-1284 (FAX) Reno, NV 89502 159 Lawrence Street [email protected] (775) 861-6329 Quincy, CA 95971 (775) 861-6301 (FAX) (530) 283-7819 Boiano, Daniel [email protected] (530) 293-7746 (FAX) Aquatic Ecologist [email protected] Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks Carlson, Ann D. 47050 Generals Highway Region 1 Aquatic Ecologist Jennings, Mark R. Three Rivers, CA 93271 Watershed, Wildlife, Fisheries & Rare Plants Herpetologist/Fishery Biologist (559) 565-4273 Region 1 Regional Office Rana Resources (559) 565-3730 (FAX) USDA Forest Service P.O. Box 2185 [email protected] Federal Building Davis, CA 95617-2185 200 East Broadway (530) 753-2727 Bolster, Betsy P.O. Box 7669 (530) 753-2727 (FAX) Staff Environmental Scientist Missoula, MT 59807 [email protected] (Statewide Coordinator for Conservation (406) 329-3087 of Amphibians and Reptiles) (406) 329-3171 (FAX) Kanz, Russell California Department of Fish and Wildlife [email protected] Biologist Wildlife Branch State Water Resources Control Board Nongame Wildlife Program Davidson, Carlos P.O. Box 2000 1812 9th St. Director, Associate Professor Sacramento, CA 95812-2000 Sacramento, CA 95811 Environmental Studies Program (916) 341-5341 (916) 445-3684 College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (916) 341-5252 (FAX) (916) 445-4048 (FAX) San Francisco State University [email protected] [email protected] 1600 Holloway Avenue San Francisco, CA 94132 Kiddoo, Phillip Bradford, David (415) 405-2127 Research and Systems Analyst II Research Ecologist (415) 338-2880 (FAX) Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control Environmental Sciences Division [email protected] District Office of Research and Development 157 Short Street U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Epanchin, Peter Bishop, CA 93514-3537 P.O. Box 93478 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (760) 872-8211 Las Vegas, NV 89193-3478 University of California, Berkeley (760) 872-6109 (FAX) (702) 798-2681 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building [email protected] (702) 798-2692 (FAX) Berkeley, CA 94720 [email protected] [email protected] Knapp, Roland Associate Research Biologist Brown, Cathy Fellers, Gary Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Lab Monitoring Team Leader USGS Biological Resources Division University of California Sierra Nevada Amphibian Monitoring Point Reyes National Seashore HCR 79, Box 198 Program 1 Bear Valley Road Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546 Stanislaus National Forest Point Reyes, CA 94956-9799 (760) 647-0034 USDA Forest Service (415) 464-5185 (760) 935-8467 (FAX) Pacific Southwest Research Station (415) 663-8132 (FAX) [email protected] P.O. Box 241 [email protected] Berkeley, CA 94701 (510) 559-6433 (510) 559-6499 (FAX) [email protected] 4 Mountain Yellow Legged Frog Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-038 July 2014 Lawrence, Mike Milliron, Curtis Thompson, Steve District Ranger Senior Biologist, Specialist Branch Chief Paulina Ranger District California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Management Division Ochoco National Forest 407 W. Line Street Yosemite National Park 7803 Beaver Creek Road Bishop, CA 93514 National Park Service Paulina, OR 97751 (760) 872-3058 P.O. Box 700 W (541) 477-6901 (760) 872-1284 (FAX) El Portal, CA 95318 (541) 477-6949 (FAX) [email protected] (209) 379-3261 [email protected] (209) 379-3269 (FAX) Perrot, Laurie [email protected] Lehr, Stafford Environmental Coordinator Senior Fisheries Biologist Supervisor’s Office Vredenburg, Vance T. California Department of Fish and Wildlife Tahoe National Forest Postdoctoral Scholar 1701 Nimbus Rd., Suite A USDA Forest Service Department of Integrative Biology and Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 631 Coyote Street Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (530) 626-3687 P.O. Box 6003 Univ of California, Berkeley [email protected] Nevada City, CA 95959 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, 3160 (530) 478-6244 Berkeley, CA 94720 Lind, Amy J. (530) 478-6109 (FAX) (510) 642-7960 Research Wildlife Biologist [email protected] (510) 643-8238 (FAX) Sierra Nevada Research Center [email protected] Pacific Southwest Research Station Pert, Edward USDA Forest Service California Department of Fish and Wildlife Werner, Harold 2121 Second Street, Suite A-101 Habitat Conservation Planning Branch Wildlife Ecologist Davis, CA 95616 1416 Ninth St., 12th Floor Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks (530) 759-1702 Sacramento, CA 95814 47050 Generals Highway (510) 747-0241 (FAX) (916) 651-8689 Three Rivers, CA 93271 [email protected] (916) 653-7387 (FAX) (559) 565-3123 [email protected] (559) 565-3730 (FAX) Macfarlane, Diane [email protected] Threatened and Endangered Species Pope, Karen Coordinator Wildlife Biologist Willians, Jann O. Ecosystem Conservation Staff Redwood Sciences Laboratory Fisheries Biologist Region 5 Regional Office Pacific Southwest Research Station Supervisor’s Office USDA Forest Service USDA Forest Service Eldorado National Forest 1325 Club Drive 1700 Bayview Drive USDA Forest Service Vallejo, CA 94592 Arcata, CA 95221 100 Forni Road (707) 562-8931 (707) 825-2957 Placerville, CA 95667 (707) 562-9054 (FAX) (707) 825-2901 (FAX) (530) 621-5240 [email protected] [email protected] (530) 621-5297 (FAX) [email protected] Matthews, Kathleen Smith, Dennis E. Research Fisheries Biologist Region 5, RHAT Fisheries Biologist Wong, Darrell M. Pacific Southwest Research Station Natural Resources Management Fisheries Biologist (retired) USDA Forest Service Region 5, Regional Office 130 Scott Road P.O. Box 245 USDA Forest Service Bishop, CA 93514 Berkeley, CA 94701 1325 Club Drive (760) 387-2328 (510) 559-6454 Vallejo, CA 94592 [email protected] (510) 559-6440 (FAX) (916) 930-3995 [email protected] (916) 498-6675 (FAX) [email protected] McKenny, Heather Aquatic Ecologist Stephens, Stan Yosemite National Park Retired Environmental Scientist National Park Service California Department of Fish and Wildlife P.O. Box 700 1234 East Shaw Ave. El Portal, CA 95318 Fresno, CA 93710 (209) 379-1438 (559) 999-3028 - cell (209) 379- 1131 (FAX) (559) 243-4020 (FAX) [email protected] [email protected] 5 Mountain Yellow Legged Frog Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-038 July 2014 6 Mountain Yellow Legged Frog Conservation Assessment Brown et al. R5-TP-038 July 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary _____________________ 10 Existing Management & Research to Address Risk Factors ___________________ 80 Introduction ____________________________ 12 The Purpose of this Conservation Assessment 12 Conservation Options ____________________ 81 Mission 14 Conservation Assessment Tasks Identified by the Working Group 14 Key Information Gaps ____________________ 82 Geographic Scope of this Assessment 14 Agency Direction for Species Conservation 15 Glossary _______________________________ 83 Document Organization 18 Ecology ________________________________ 19 Acknowledgments ______________________ 85 Systematics and Taxonomy 19 Description 20 Literature Cited _________________________ 86 Habitat Requirements 21 Life History 23 Population Dynamics 25 Appendix A – Movement 27 Museum Standard Symbolic Codes _________ 109 Feeding 28 Mortality 28 Literature Cited 109 Key Ecological Factors to Consider in the Conservation Strategy 29 Appendix B – Status – Administrative and Political Units ___ 110 Status _________________________________ 31 State of Nevada 110 Pre-1980 31 Lassen