Frank Santana, a research technician with the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, prepares to make the first-ever release of endangered mountain yellow-legged frog tadpoles into a mountain stream. They are among 36 of the Southern California population of mountain yellow-legged frogs reintroduced into a stream near Idyllwild, Calif., Tuesday. There are believed to be less than 200 of the frogs living in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San Jacinto mountains. Photo: CourtesyThe restoration of the Hill’s mountain yellow-legged frog population is continuing although no new releases of eggs are planned for 2012, according to Adam R. Backlin, ecologist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center in Irvine.
“It looks like our captive breeding program this year did not produce as many new frogs as we had hoped. So we will not be releasing any frogs in 2012,” Backlin wrote in an email last week. “Instead we will be head starting the 200 to 300 new frogs to an older life stage in captivity and releasing them in 2013 as juvenile frogs.”
The team continues to monitor frog releases from 2011 and did detect tadpoles in the creek as recently as February 2012, he added.
They are hoping some of tadpoles released in 2011 will have survived this winter and metamorphose into frogs this summer.
Idyllwild Fire Idyllwild Fire Protection District recently responded to the following calls. • July 20 — Power line down, 2 p.m. Pine Crest Ave. • July 20 — Medical aid, 5:44 p.m. Delano Dr. • July 20 — Person in distress, 10 p.m. Highway 243. • July 21 — Medical aid, 11:17 a.m. Circle…
The U.S. Marine Corps celebrated its 237th birthday on Saturday, Nov.10. In observance, Idyllwild Marines held a cake-cutting ceremony. Preparing to cut the cake is Master Sergeant Danny Richardson, flanked by Gunnery Sergeant Rick Foster (left) and Corporal Fred Mahollond (right). In the background is Ron Draper, commander of American Legion Post 800.
Editor’s note: The Town Crier is interviewing each of the six candidates for the Idyllwild Fire Protection District commission. Interviews with incumbent Commissioners Pete Capparelli and Paul Riggi appeared in the July 14 issue. The series of interviews will conclude next week with Jerry Buchanan and Larry Donahoo. Ballots will be mailed to voters and…
Fire log Hill fire stations responded to the following calls, Monday to Monday, March 25 to April 1, 2013: Idyllwild Fire Department and Ambulance March 28 — Medical aid, Sylvan Way, Pine Cove. March 30 — Medical aid, Highway 243, Pine Cove. March 31 — Structure fire, Village View Drive, Idyllwild. March 31 — Medical…
Two crashes, both on Sunday, Dec. 4, took place on Hill roads over the last week. At 11:27 a.m., Christopher Wrenn, 24, of Aguanga, was riding his black 2014 Honda street bike east on Highway 371, a half mile west of the intersection with Highway 74 when, while negotiating a left-hand curve, he crossed over…
The U.S. Forest Service is requesting comments by Nov. 5 on its proposal to create or to maintain defensible space abatement around many of its administrative sites in the San Jacinto Ranger District. Administrative sties can include recreation cabins, communication sites, fire lookout towers, developed camp sites, day use areas, fire stations, trailheads, travel routes,…