Posted on 10/09/2004 9:44:46 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Chris Giorni knows his plops. As a herpetologist, his ear is trained to distinguish the distinctive belly-flops of rare frogs landing in remote ditches, creeks and coves.
But oh what a splash one of his latest discoveries has caused.
Lying in wait, khakis waist deep in water, camera at the ready, Giorni says he encountered a California red-legged frog on a piece of Half Moon Bay property slated for one of the biggest developments the coast has seen in two decades.
Giorni's photos of the threatened frog have put the brakes on the controversial Wavecrest Village. They've also raised suspicion among some in this seaside hamlet who wonder whether project opponents planted the frog just before a crucial environmental review. There's even a new riddle bandying about town: ``When is a frog not a frog? When it's a plant.''
Absurd, says Giorni. He's miffed by the suggestion that somebody would tamper with nature -- especially him, an adjunct teacher with the California Academy of Sciences -- for political gain. And besides, he said, if this wasn't frog habitat, ``if you had one, and put it out there, it would die.''
Since the discovery this summer, state and federal biologists have descended on the property and declared the scraggly coyote brush and ponds as suitable habitat for both the frog and the endangered San Francisco garter snake. However, they didn't see a frog for themselves. ..
--snip--
Wavecrest's biologists say they had scoured the property for years but never stumbled upon one of the slimy pomegranate-colored amphibians. Now, developers must scramble to protect the frog because it's on both state and U.S. threatened species lists.
``Usually this kind of information comes up early on and developers work around it,'' said Dave Johnston, a biologist with state Fish and Game.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Ying tong iddy I-po!
sauteed or baked? ;-)
Don't forget the garlic butter!
Suspicion? Under these circumstances, I would consider the appearance of the frog as a "plant" until proven otherwise. The burden of proof is on those who purportedly "found" the frog.
When is some Republican California lawmaker in Sacramento going to author an "Environmental Fraud" bill? Never mind, I just remembered, California doesn't have a Republican Party!
Oh oh, Miss Piggy is going into heat again!!!
The frog-looking John Kerry.
Yes, the ENVIRO-WHACKOS are going to go nuts over this one...OK, we are making a special deal for those people...for every red-legged frog you save, you get a FREE FREEZE-DRIED SPOTTED OWL !!!!
:-) smack laps ... !!!
uhh,, lips :-)
That would be true if this happened in America, but it happened in Kalifornia.
I'll bet the endangered garter snakes eat those tasty red-legged frogs!
There was a big row over the giant garter snake here in sacto living on land across from Arco Arena that was pegged for development. End result.....full and complete development has occurred anyway.
Necessity and money will trump the ecowacko's everytime....eventually!
Reminds me of the Lynx hair incident which was also planted.
Federal and state wildlife biologists planted false evidence of a rare cat species in two national forests, officials told The Washington Times.
Had the deception not been discovered, the government likely would have banned many forms of recreation and use of natural resources in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Wenatchee National Forest in Washington state.
I forgot about that. What we need is "Environmentalist Control".
Yes, the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia.
Five years ago, when they were building the BART extension to the San Francisco Airport, an enviroweasel discovered a squished salamander on the construction site. A judge promptly halted activity for months, then allowed it to continue as long as trucks were speed-limited to ten MPH on the site. Speed was radar enforced. Net result: project ran over a year late and almost 100% over budget.
Meanwhile, a few yards away, Caltrain ripped along at 79 mph, as did the Southern Pacific before it for more than a century...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.