Service Lists Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog Distinct Population Segments Under The ESA

Photo By/CreditRebecca Fabbri/USFWS

On August 29, 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published a final rule listing two distinct population segments (DPS)—the North Feather and Central Coast DPSs—of the foothill yellow-legged frog (Rana boylii) (Frog) as threatened (Threatened DPSs) and two additional DPSs of the Frog—the South Sierra and South Coast DPSs—as endangered (Endangered DPSs) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the preamble to the final rule, the Service indicated that designating critical habitat for all four DPSs of the Frog is not determinable at this time due to a lack of economic information on the impacts of designation. The Service also indicated it will continue to review economic data, in coordination with the state and other organizations.