YNP Public Scoping Comment Period for YLF

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ERIC
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YNP Public Scoping Comment Period for YLF

Post by ERIC »

Yosemite National Park Announces Public Scoping Comment Period for the Aquatic Habitat and Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Restoration Project

Yosemite National Park News Release
May 4, 2006
For Immediate Release


Yosemite National Park is proposing a project to restore a small number of remote, high-elevation lakes to their native fishless conditions to help restore mountain yellow-legged frog populations. Such low-impact fish removals will have a negligible effect on recreational fishing in Yosemite because a large proportion of the park's lakes will continue to harbor healthy fish populations. This project would also benefit hundreds of other amphibian, reptile, invertebrate, and bird species. Proposed project components include:

* Re-establishing mountain yellow-legged frog populations at sites where they once were present.
* Removing fish from less than a dozen small, high-elevation lakes. These lakes currently contain non-native populations of brook, brown, or rainbow trout. The planting of fish in many lakes and streams in the Sierra Nevada has been one of the negative factors thought to be causing the demise of the mountain yellow-legged frog, as these fish prey on frogs, eggs, and tadpoles.

Public scoping for this project will occur from May 17, 2006 through June 16, 2006. Scoping is an opportunity early in a planning process for the public, organizations, and other agencies to suggest issues to be considered by the National Park Service in preparing the proposed Environmental Assessment (EA). An EA is proposed to be issued for public review in early 2007 .

Written scoping comments should be postmarked no later than June 16, 2006. To request a hard copy or CD ROM version of the Environmental Assessment and to submit comments:

Mail: Superintendent, Yosemite National Park
Attn: Aquatic Habitat and Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Restoration Project
PO Box 577
Yosemite, CA 95389

Fax: 209/379-1294

Email: YOSE_planning@nps.gov

Comments can be submitted during a public Open House to be held in Yosemite Valley in the Visitor Center Auditorium on May 31, 2006 from 1pm to 5pm. For more information, visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/yose/planning.

-NPS-
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Post by AldeFarte »

:) Excellant posts today Eric, Very informative. I am compelled once again to weigh in on the subject of our amphib friend. I am 100 percent convinced that this is the first round of of many to come .The proverbial camels nose under the tent. After it's highly touted success in the future, the powers that be will propose a much more expansive project to save the frog that "don't need savin". Fishermens and womens -remember these days. I must say though, I am curious at what speed the "miracle" recovery will take place. For those that are curious, we are having a cold spring around here. Still light out, but late evening in intensity. No snow at my elevation ,{1200'} but plenty 1000 feet higher. Bears should be waking up soon, but no grass for them so they will be looking for grub. Chickens are really laying with all this light. Kings should be in the lower Kenai soon. jls
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Post by sierra_smitty »

Tip of the iceberg ladies and gents........

I like the idea of securing a place for those little frogs. The only thing I'm concerned with is that at first it was only 3 lakes then 22 lakes now 32....next year I'm sure we'll be over 50 and so on and so forth. Clever intentional PR tactic by announcing only a few lakes at a time? Hmmm....probably. I just hope the powers that be know when to stop.
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Post by ERIC »

AldeFarte wrote::) Excellant posts today Eric, Very informative.
Just doin' my job the best I know how. Posting unbiased, bilateral, informative articles and tid-bits related to the Sierra Nevada....well, as unbiased as I can be, anyway. :)

The amount of times I have to bite my tounge when I see certain posts on these forums...good lord. You people have NO idea how hard that is... Better to keep neutral and let you guys set the tone; but it's not easy!



Rational, free thinking minds are a powerful persuasion. There is something to be learned no matter which "side" an idea champions. If supported and expressed correctly, an opinion of any origin should stimulate the minds of all who are exposed to it.
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Ribbet, ribbet redux

Post by gdurkee »

Eric:

As always, thanks for keeping people informed on this sort of stuff. You're doing a much better job than I am at Sierra Nature Notes.

Given all evidence to the contrary, it is hard to see how this becomes a 'camel's nose' thing. The logistical and geographical problems are huge in carrying out an effort like this. As noted elsewhere, the basins that are even candidates for frog restoration are limited. The basin or lake being restored has to have a stream barrier (like a 10 foot waterfall) so the fish can't get back in. That eliminates a huge number of places. In addition, ideally the lakes should be in separate drainages to isolate them from disease spreading, but close enough where the frogs can repopulate if one is wiped out. Doing just a few lakes (say, 5) takes 3 to 5 years minimum.

I admit I don't fish. But it's hard to see how folks get so upset about lakes that have, at best, 10 inch hybridized trout in them. These are mushy overpopulated fish. Large spawning areas with little food for them.

We may reach 50 in the next 20 years, but that will be in the ENTIRE Sierra -- out of ten thousand lakes... .

If we could just teach our bears to fish! (Since they didn't evolve with fish in the high country lakes, they never learned and don't seemed to have figured it out. They do go after frogs, though).

Glad the sun's coming out in the Far North. Spring at long last here too.

g.
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Re: Ribbet, ribbet redux

Post by sierra_smitty »

gdurkee wrote:Eric:

As always, thanks for keeping people informed on this sort of stuff. You're doing a much better job than I am at Sierra Nature Notes.

Given all evidence to the contrary, it is hard to see how this becomes a 'camel's nose' thing. The logistical and geographical problems are huge in carrying out an effort like this. As noted elsewhere, the basins that are even candidates for frog restoration are limited. The basin or lake being restored has to have a stream barrier (like a 10 foot waterfall) so the fish can't get back in. That eliminates a huge number of places. In addition, ideally the lakes should be in separate drainages to isolate them from disease spreading, but close enough where the frogs can repopulate if one is wiped out. Doing just a few lakes (say, 5) takes 3 to 5 years minimum.

I admit I don't fish. But it's hard to see how folks get so upset about lakes that have, at best, 10 inch hybridized trout in them. These are mushy overpopulated fish. Large spawning areas with little food for them.

We may reach 50 in the next 20 years, but that will be in the ENTIRE Sierra -- out of ten thousand lakes... .

If we could just teach our bears to fish! (Since they didn't evolve with fish in the high country lakes, they never learned and don't seemed to have figured it out. They do go after frogs, though).

Glad the sun's coming out in the Far North. Spring at long last here too.

g.
George,

With all due respect, the lakes surveyed number 2000 (kings & sequoia to the South to Yosemite to the North), not 10000 and while yes, in some cases they are removing stunted and/or hybridized fish that has not always been the case....some very large beautiful fish have been removed from some of these lakes and plenty of pure goldens. For the most part, they've done a good job picking these lakes and I hope that continues....I wish all of the lakes that are candidates for removal were full of 5" brookies, lord knows we have enough of them.

Too many anglers jump to the conclusion that it's frogs or fish in the backcountry and that is silly. Informed anglers limit their concern to when some of the few day-hike lakes with Goldens are rendered fish-less or when a lake with an outstanding fishery ends up on the list. Just as there are limited places where the frogs can thrive, so it can be said for large wild trout populations. Of the 2000 lakes in affected backcountry area, a relatively small percentage offer big trout, even less big goldens. Lets say for the sake of argument that there are 100 lakes with trophy goldens back there (it's probably well less but I needed a number), now if you figure in plans to remove fish from an ever-growing number of lakes(it went from only a few to 32 in the last two years), a number with no limit at present, that is where some concern finds it's way into my mind. The other issue is that part of the plan has been to hault most backcountry stocking programs which spells doom for even more fisheries in the coming years. While some lakes may not have appropriate spawning conditions, they may have adequate forage for the fish to get big...but without any supplementation, due in part to the YLF, when they're gone they're gone.

It still concerns me that the department of FISH and GAME repeatedly apears more enthusiastic about removing fish or limiting fishing (see MLPA's) than enhancing our sporting opportunities. Of course, there are TONS of awesome people working with the DFG that are gung ho about hunting and fishing and my comment is no stab at them, but it is cause for concern...not panic, but concern.

It also won't take them 20 years to remove fish from 50 lakes my friend, I believe they're up around a dozen now, in all probablity more after this season. It may take 3-5 years to complete a restoration program in a given drainage but removing the fish doesn't.

Good fishing,
Smitty

EDIT - I want to make sure those who read my opinions on this realize that I am PRO the YLF restoration and have been pleased with how it has gone overall.
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Post by AldeFarte »

Smitty, I can find Nothing to disagree with in your last post. I have more than concern ,however. I have apprehension at the future prospects for fishing in large sections of the sierra's. Call me paranoid, because I am on subjects such as these.Gee, if a little is good then a lot must be better. :retard:
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