Here is my quarterly post-construction report to FERC (the Frog Environmental Regulatory Commission) regarding the suburban operation of .003 acres of created frog habitat, to mitigate at a 2:1 ratio for the clearing of .0015 acres of Lambs Ear wherein small frogs had previously sought shelter.
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Good Evening. I am the FERC hearings officer. Tonight's proceedings are for receipt of the Progress Report regarding the Frogs' Mitigation Area (FMA), and then I'll open it up for public comment. A few ground rules; please be courteous to other speakers, and each speaker is limited to 2 minutes. We'll begin with Redwood Man, the project proponent.
Thank You, I am Redwood Man. Construction and initial operation of the FMA took place in June, 2014 so we have one year of data. The project included enlarging and deepening of a receiving pond to an-as-built dimension of 7 x 6 x 1.5 feet, relocation of a waterfall, and creation of a 30-foot, 2-foot-wide, 1-foot deep creek.
The shallow pond's (18" minus two inches of gravel for a net 16" depth) water temperature is close to the air temperature. Both were above 80 F today. Nearby but unrelated projects include removal of several arborvitae trees, trimming a pear tree, relocation of ornamental flowers, and a fence replacement.
I salted the pond with a dozen native treefrog tadpoles in July. When I transplanted lilies into the FMA, somehow a tiny goldfish made the trip also, but that was the only fish in the FMA. I haven't seen it lately.
Two or more small bullfrogs colonized the FMA immediately but recently disappeared. At night raccoons have waded into the pond, uprooting plants, tipped over the large flat rocks that cover the pumphouse, and possibly ate the bullfrogs.
Now the first dime-sized native frog has emerged from a tadpole. This little beauty is a Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla).
I am excited to report that the FMA is brimming with up to 100 tadpoles. The following picture shows the tadpoles near flat rocks covering the pumphouse.
All the tadpoles are less than 1.5 inches long. Some have legs.
Bullfrog tadpoles would be larger. These tadpoles are likely more native Pacific Treefrogs.
(Applause)
Hearings Officer: Please, no applause during this hearing, we have a lots of speakers to hear from.
Redwood Man: I theorize these native frogs took advantage of breeding in this fish-free pond, with fewer losses of frog eggs or tadpoles.
Tree frogs can lay eggs anytime from January to July, but bullfrogs can also lay eggs in any month. Oddly, I have never seen any frog eggs clusters in the FMA. Bullfrog clusters are large and more visible, while tree frog eggs tend to be attached to the underside of plants below water which are harder to spot. So I am hopeful there are many native frog tadpoles about to mature, along with any bullfrogs.
Tree frog eggs hatch within 1-3 weeks, and metamorphosis follows in 2-5 months.
Technical information in this report comes from Wiki and the Oregon and Rhode Island Fish & Game websites.
I've had problems with invasive weeds, and spent a weekend hand-weeding, as described in an interim report to FERC: http://www.dailykos.com/...
I sought to provide a variety of habitats in the stream bed, ranging from 4 inches of standing water to barely damp gravel.
However weeds have volunteered in some shallow damp areas, and I've spotted mosquito larvae in some isolated pools of inch-deep water.
Robins, finches, sparrows, doves, and other LBBs love the stream and bathe in it and drink from it, and patronize the bird feeders. Squirrels hit up the bird feeders also. The newly-trimmed pear tree is offering a bumper crop of Boscs for the first time, and hummingbirds are frequenting its increased numbers of blossoms. The herons also perch nearby often, although they prefer to hunt lazy goldfish in the two adjacent fish ponds. This concludes my remarks.
Hearings Officer: Thank you Redwood Man. I now open the public comment period and the first speaker is Mrs. Redwood Woman.
Redwood Woman: This is all well and good, however I received pre-project verbal assurances the stream would surge like a small river, but it only trickles.
Redwood Man: I'd like to respond to that. I've purchased a 1/4 horsepower pump and a 1.25" diameter hose to replace the 1/6th hp pump and 5/8" hose, which will produce vastly increased stream flows. Please note I'll need to trench through your plantings, Dear, to upgrade the water supply system.
Next Speaker is Moonshadow, from the Right to Bear Fangs and Claws;
Moonshadow: We commented on the original Environmental Assessment (EA) against the fencing of the project area, which severely limited cats' access to this water source. We believe the as-built fence is in fact several inches higher that the 6 feet proposed in the EA.
Representative of Garden-Eating Deer (GED), bleating from audience, "We support Moonshadow's concerns!"
(Meowing from audience)
Hearings Officer: Please, this is the second time I've had to warn against outbursts from the audience. Next speaker is from the Neighborhood Association of Grumps (NAG).
NAG: We also testified against the original EA and our fears have been exceeded. The frog noise is overwhelming and goes on all night. We also believe the encouragement of frogs is a direct violation of the Protect Humans from Scary Snakes Act of 1934, by creating large numbers of snake prey, you are luring snakes which could startle us someday.
Hearing Officer: Thanks for your concerns. The next speaker is David Koch from Koch Industries.
Koch: For starters I vehemently object to you allowing comments and testimony from animals and critters. The Supreme Court has already ruled that critters do not have standing to participate in an environmental review. How the hell could I exploit my tar sands leaseholdings in Canada, for instance, if I have to give due consideration to the concerns of the caribou and the migrating birds? I'll never get anything ....
(Loud booing, bleating, hissing, meowing, croaking)
Hearing Officer, angry: This hearing is adjourned due to these outbreaks! Re-commencement dates will be announced in the Federal Register!
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