Celebration as native species return to Yosemite
The California red-legged frog and Western pond turtle have been missing for over five decades.
The California red-legged frog and Western pond turtle, two native species that have been absent from Yosemite Valley for over fifty years, are being reintroduced in a collaboration between several different organizations that hope to see the two animals thrive in their natural habitat.
The reintroduction involves cooperation between the National Park Service, San Francisco Zoo & Gardens, the nonprofit Yosemite Conservancy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the education organization NatureBridge.
“It’s a beautiful illustration of how, when all of these agencies work together, they can make great things happen really quickly,” said the Yosemite Conservancy’s Jennifer Miller. “It’s rare when a project goes from ideation to implementation within one year. So it’s just a really beautiful success story.”
There was a ribbon cutting at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens on May 25 for the opening of a permanent breeding center at the Zoo. The breeding center will be known as the San Francisco Zoological Society and Yosemite National Park Conservation and Recovery Facility, and the ceremony was attended by 54 fourth graders from North Hillsborough School in San Mateo County who are NatureBridge students, according to Reed Schneider, the Education Director at NatureBridge.
