A federal district judge is reversing a U.S. Fish and Wildlife plan to designate more than 4 million acres as critical habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog.
The service will have to re-evaluate a plan developers successfully challenged as flawed.
The once widespread amphibian is believed to have inspired Mark Twain´s short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”
Developers challenged restrictions that would have covered parts of 28 of the state´s 58 counties – from Tehama and Plumas counties in the north to the Mexican border.
The decision leaves in place protections on 200,000 acres where the frog currently exists.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:35 pm