<
https://capitalandmain.com/can-an-imperiled-frog-stop-oil-drilling-near-denver-suburbs-residents-hope-so>
"A raccoon’s long-toed footprint adorned the muddy lakeshore. A killdeer
screeched overhead and a fluffy-tailed coyote loped through nearby grasslands.
Yet the animal that wildlife biologist Wendy Hanophy sought on a hot October
day remained elusive.
The northern leopard frogs she was searching for were likely bedded down in
wetlands surrounding the Aurora Reservoir to protect their moist skin from the
midday heat. The amphibian’s absence underscored the stakes: Scientists agree
the indicator species, which is difficult to spot, count and monitor, is
particularly at risk from habitat disturbances.
Hanophy and hundreds of Aurora residents are hoping the imperiled vertebrate
will help them persuade state regulators to deny a request by Crestone Peak
Resources Operating LLC to build one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas pads on
a former bombing range less than a mile from the reservoir and their homes in
the Denver suburbs.
“Frogs will disperse up to three miles as soon as they’ve bred and hatched,”
said Hanophy, a retired Colorado Parks and Wildlife employee, as dry grass
crunched under her hiking boots. “They have to eat, and they don’t stay in the
reservoir for that. They are foraging all up and around these areas.”
Indeed, several weeks before Hanophy’s fruitless search, herpetologists hired
by a residents’ group found three northern leopard frogs uphill from where she
stood close to the proposed 35-acre oil and gas site. The discovery came after
state officials listed “Oil & Gas Exploration & Extraction” as a threat to the
species in a 2025 wildlife action plan. The document categorized the amphibian
as requiring “conservation interventions most urgently.”
The dwindling numbers of leopard frogs also prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to participate in an ongoing case study to restore habitat for the
amphibian in an area northwest of Denver. Early findings noted that the
four-inch-long vertebrate is “identified as a species of greatest conservation
need in many western states” and is “considered sensitive, threatened, or
endangered.”
The proposed 32-well State Sunlight/Long pad is one of several oil and gas
sites slated for what is now known as the Lowry Ranch. Situated about 25 miles
southeast of downtown Denver, the picturesque property is surrounded by
fast-growing suburbs. The State Land Board, which owns and manages the
26,000-acre ranch, echoed Fish and Wildlife’s conclusion that the frogs need
undisturbed habitat in a “2050 Stewardship Framework.”"
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-bike-friendly-world-mission/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
