Sonora, CA…Congressman Tom McClintock is sponsoring a public forum on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal to list the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and the northern distinct population segment of the mountain yellow-legged frog as endangered species, the Yosemite toad as a threatened species, and designate critical habitat of these species. The forum will be held Tuesday, August 6, 2:00 pm at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds, Sierra Building, 220 Southgate Drive, Sonora.

The following individuals will present information on the proposed listing:

• Mike Applegarth, Principal Analyst, El Dorado County.
• Kelly Wooster, Cattleman, Calaveras County.
• Randy Hanvelt, Supervisor, Tuolumne County.
• Steve Brink, Forester.
• Mark Baird, Siskiyou County.
• Ms. Alexandra (Alex) Pitts, Deputy Regional Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

McClintock will be joined by Congressman Devin Nunes and staff members from other Congressional offices whose constituents would be impacted by the designations.

“These listings and the associated critical habitat will impact over two million acres of private, state, and federal land,” McClintock said. “Critical habitat designations will likely cause severe restrictions on land access and could limit or forbid activities such as grazing, trout stocking, logging, mining, and recreational use resulting in a devastating impact on the local economy.”

The period for public comment on the plan was closed June 21. However, McClintock, joined by seven colleagues, obtained a 120-day extension to the public comment period from the Fish and Wildlife Service.