Quick Facts:
- 48 acres of land near Foresthill, CA, permanently protected by a conservation easement held by Placer Land Trust
- Protected in November 2010 through a public-private partnership with Westervelt Ecological Services and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
- Provides habitat and protection for the largest known population of Federally Threatened California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii) in the Sierra Nevada.
Partnering for Protection
Partners
Placer Land Trust recently partnered with Westervelt Ecological Services and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) to permanently protect a 52-acre property known as the Big Gun Preserve, located near Foresthill in the Middle Fork American River watershed, containing the largest Sierra Nevada population of California red-legged frogs.
Placer Land Trust has recorded a conservation easement on 48 acres of the Big Gun Preserve to forever protect the property as habitat for the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii). Preservation and management of the property by Westervelt – and conservation easement monitoring and enforcement by Placer Land Trust – will greatly contribute to the long-term survival and recovery of the frogs in the region.
“By working with Placer Land Trust to protect this property, we are helping USFWS meet stated recovery goals for this species,” said Lucy Triffleman, Conservation Planner with Westervelt Ecological Services. “Through this three-way partnership between a private company, a non-profit land trust, and a federal agency, tangible species conservation and recovery is happening, moving us one step further on the path to saving this animal from extinction.”
“Placer Land Trust has been pleased to work with Westervelt Ecological Services to protect the Big Gun Preserve,” said Placer Land Trust Executive Director Jeff Darlington, “The protection of this one single property is the most significant step we can take to save the California red-legged frog.”
Habitat
The Big Gun Preserve is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Placer County at around 3,300 feet in elevation. In general, the Preserve is steep with two dominant plant communities: ponderosa pine series and mixed conifer. There are a number of ponds and wetlands on the property, and – despite severe degradation of the landscape during the Gold Rush – this site today serves as exceptional California red-legged frog habitat. The Preserve also provides habitat for an array of Sierra Nevada foothill plant and wildlife species.
History & Culture
The California red-legged frog first jumped into fame in Mark Twain’s short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, published in 1865. Following Twain’s story, the famous California red-legged frogs have been the unofficial mascot of Calaveras County, where frog-jumping is an annual tradition at the County fair.
One hundred years after his death, Twain’s autobiography, “Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1”, is a best seller. However, during the same one hundred years since Twain’s death, populations of the California red-legged frog have declined drastically, largely due to the destruction of wetland habitat for residential development. The frogs were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act by USFWS in 1996, and are also listed as a species of special concern by the California Department of Fish & Game.
Contact Information
For more information regarding the Big Gun Preserve or mitigation credits please contact Travis Hemmen at Westervelt: (916) 646-3644 or themmen@westervelt.com
Big Gun Preserve is not open to the public. For a list of our properties that have public trails visit our Trails page.
