September 17, 2003

90 Years of Neglect; Protect the tiger salamander

1) Attached is a chronology I have written documenting 90 years of neglect and mismanagement of Alameda Creek that I think you will find interesting and informative.

2) Take action to help protect an endangered species that inhabits the Alameda Creek watershed:

The California Tiger Salamander Needs ESA Protection, You Can Help

The California tiger salamander is a native amphibian that lives only in the oak woodlands, grasslands, and seasonal wetlands of California's great central valley, coast ranges, and Santa Rosa plain. The Alameda Creek watershed has some of the best remaining populations of the species in Central California. The species is divided into three genetically and geographically separate units, or population segments, each of which can be separately listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act ("ESA"). The three population segments occur in Sonoma County, Santa Barbara County, and Central California. The Sonoma and Santa Barbara population segments have both been emergency listed as endangered under the ESA. The comment period is now open on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposal to reclassify the Sonoma and Santa Barbara population segments as threatened, to list the Central California population segment as threatened, and to create a loophole in the ESA's protection for the species throughout its range by applying a little known exemption in Section 4(d) of the ESA that would allow the species to be harmed by activities such as discing of soil and poisoning of rodent populations on which the California Tiger Salamander depends for creation of suitable burrows.

The best scientific information available shows that the California tiger salamander is in danger of extinction and that it should be listed as endangered and afforded the full protections of the ESA throughout its range. You can help by writing to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and requesting that the Service list all three population segments of the California tiger salamander as endangered, that the agency not create any loopholes in the law that protects endangered species, and that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fully uphold the Endangered Species Act as passed by Congress.

Visit the Center for Biological Diversity's web site at http://actionnetwork.org/BIODIVERSITY/home.html and click on the CA tiger salamander alert in the middle of the page to send a comment letter. Go to http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/species/ctigersal/index.html for more information about the tiger salamander.

3) Don't forget to vote for ACA Board of Directors by October 28 - if you are an ACA member, you will receive a ballot in the mail by the end of the month. If you're not sure if you are a member or need to renew your membership, contact me.