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San Jose Mercury News The San Francisco Peninsula is home to one of the planet's rarest species, the California tiger salamander. The last stand for this animal on the
Peninsula is being played out on the lands and roadways encompassed by Stanford University. The chances for this unique species to survive are being crushed under the wheels of our automobiles - even as their habitat is lost to
development. Tiger salamanders are amphibians, an ancient class of cold-blooded animals that spend much of their time in water. They breed in ponds and lakes; once a year, they migrate from their dry upland homes to do so.
Their urge to reach water is so strong that they will do just about anything in their power to reach it, including ranging across long overland routes and, unfortunately, across roads. As development fragments their
habitat, and traffic increases on the roads separating these fragments, the salamanders have become increasingly imperiled. Biologists estimate that between 1,500 and 7500 of the creatures survive on Stanford lands, their only
remaining habitat on the Peninsula. These same biologists estimate that, in a bad year, as many as 300 of them are killed on roadways. Stanford's population of tiger salamanders has plummeted - and is now near extinction.
The proposed Community Plan for Stanford University put forward by Santa Clara County would allow new development on some of the most sensitive habitat for the tiger salamander. The plan proposes housing in the California
Tiger Salamander Management Zone, on locations that both the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Game have requested be permanently preserved. In exchange for
development on existing habitat near the lake, the County proposes to allow the University to apply untested mitigation measures and create new habitat - far from the lake. This is a clear recipe for disaster. With each winter
breeding season, the animals will head back to Lake Lagunita, trying to cross Junipero Serra Boulevard and Campus Drive. Very many more years of this and their migrations will cease -- forever. Representatives of Stanford
University believe that they have "a positive program" to help the salamanders, and that they have a "long and scholarly interest in the California tiger salamander". Unfortunately, they are having difficulty
implementing their beliefs in the real world. In 1998, Stanford agreed to the formation of the California Tiger Salamander Management Zone. This agreement included steps to mitigate the effects of development on the salamanders.
Among these were the creation of new breeding ponds and construction of tunnels under local roadways to guide the amorous amphibians safely to the lake. The ponds have washed out and are unstable. The tunnels are significantly
behind schedule. Fences erected to guide salamanders are in disrepair. When busy roads and thousands of vehicles stand in the way, it is clear that the application of unproven technological fixes will not ameliorate the
loss of existing habitat for this species. Critical habitat - especially that near the lake -- needs to be preserved permanently, before it is too late. Committee for Green Foothills makes the following recommendations to
Santa Clara County, consistent with recommendations of the USFWS: Permanently protect tiger salamander habitat around Lake Lagunita. This includes removing the Lower Knoll, Gerona Triangle, and Lathrop District from
development planning. Restore the driving range to provide natural habitat close to the lake, and protect it with a permanent conservation easement. Leave the golf course intact. Allow no additional housing on
hole number one, which provides important habitat linkages. Require grate-covered tunnels for both Campus Drive and Junipero Serra Boulevard as a condition of Stanford's General Use Permit. Implement all
mitigation measures in the Tiger Salamander Management Agreement, then monitor and manage them such that they benefit the salamander. It might seem strange - even strident -- that so much is being made of the possible
extinction of such a small creature. The fact of the matter is that species are going extinct at a higher rate now than they have for millions of years -- a direct result of the encroachment of human civilization. The human
population of the peninsula represents some of the wealthiest and most intelligent people on this planet. If we cannot work together and find a way to preserve a small, helpless and integral component of our biosphere, then who can?
"Does it matter?" you ask. Think of the little spotted fellow peering over the edge of the roadway on a rainy winter night. Ask him if it matters. This piece is
reprinted with permission from the October 18, 2000 issue of the Palo Alto Weekly. |
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