Last modified: Thursday, May 25, 2006

Landowner gives land and money to help Columbia spotted frog

FRANCIS — Something historic happened May 23 on the bank of the Provo River near Francis.

In addition to donating more than 600 acres of land to protect Columbia spotted frogs, a private landowner did something unheard of — he gave the Division of Wildlife Resources more than $235,000 to help cover the costs of monitoring and protecting the frog.

A dedication ceremony on May 23 culminated a five-year effort among the DWR, other natural resource agencies and the Victory Ranch Club to protect the Columbia spotted frog.

The Victory Ranch Club is an exclusive development that includes home sites, golf cabins, an equestrian center and a Rees Jones designed golf course.

The development is also committed to preserving and enhancing the wildlife habitat found along the Provo River.

In addition to donating more than 600 acres of land, at the dedication ceremony Victory Ranch Club owner Bob Larsen presented an endowment fund check for $237,500 to the DWR to cover the costs the division will incur to monitor the easement area throughout the future.

With tears in his eyes, Larsen said "It's an emotional thing for me to be able to say that nothing, nothing will ever be built on this river.

"I think this agreement is a model for generations to come, and I think this will help Utah immensely. I'm proud to be able to do this."

Larsen says the area immediately surrounding the Provo River could have been developed into a beautiful golf course.

Not only did the Victory Ranch Club decide to relocate the golf course to another location, the development may also preserve up to 2,000 additional acres of land for open space and wildlife.

Krissy Wilson, native aquatic species coordinator for the DWR, says the conservation easement is a good example of how private developers and natural resource agencies can work together to protect wildlife.

"Protection of this beautiful river corridor and adjacent wetlands would not have been possible if it weren't for the vision, persistence and hard work of Bob Larson of Victory Ranch Club, and his staff," Wilson said.

"It's a rare breath of fresh air and a welcome glimpse of open space in an area that's facing tremendous development pressure," she said. "We are pleased and proud to be a part of this historic event, another step in a long process made possible by a diverse and committed team of wildlife professionals and concerned citizens."

Background

On April 19, 2006, the DWR and Victory Ranch Club completed and signed a conservation easement for approximately 600 acres along five miles of the Provo River corridor. The Victory Ranch Club will restore and enhance this five-mile stretch of the river corridor, which is important habitat for the Columbia spotted frog. Protecting this critical habitat is an important step towards the Columbia spotted frog not being listed as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Though the public will not have access to this stretch of river, improvements to the river will benefit both fish and wildlife.

Spotted frog history

More than 50 years ago, the Columbia spotted frog was found throughout the Wasatch Front. Many people remember the Columbia spotted frog as being the most abundant frog around the Woodland and Kamas area.

Spotted frog populations have declined since then because of a loss of wetland habitats, the introduction of mosquito fish and other wildlife species that aren't native to the area and poor water quality.

The Columbia spotted frog has been petitioned twice for listing as endangered under the federal Endangered Species Act.

In 1998, an interagency Spotted Frog Conservation Agreement was developed under the guidance of the DWR to address the decline of the Columbia spotted frog. The agreement's goal is to reduce threats to existing spotted frog populations and to put populations back into their historic range.

Because of the agreement, the Columbia spotted frog was not listed as endangered, but Utah's spotted frog populations were far from being secure.

Through a partnership among Utah's resource agencies, a spotted frog team was created eight years ago, and much has been accomplished for the Columbia spotted frog during that time.

The team includes representatives from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, the Utah Central Water Conservancy District, the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Some recent accomplishments include:

Two recent conservation easements that protect 167 acres of critical spotted frog habitat in Sanpete County, have been entered into.

• Several more conservation easements are being negotiated.
• Two previously unknown spotted frog populations were recently discovered by DWR personnel as they conducted spotted frog surveys near Vernon and in the Diamond Fork River areas in central Utah.
• Several research studies to determine the habitat requirements for the spotted frog have been commissioned.
• Several thousand acres of spotted frog habitat in Juab and Wasatch counties have been modified and enhanced. Most of the restored habitat is found within an area along the Provo River in the Heber Valley that is being restored by the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Conservation Commission.
• Recently, the conservation team worked with Dr. Mark Belk at Brigham Young University to develop a reintroduction protocol to safely reintroduce the Columbia spotted frog back into its historic habitat along the Wasatch Front.

— Scott Root