Community meeting on bullfrogs at Quincy library
Local American bullfrog populations and a proposed control plan are the topics of a community meeting at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 9, at the Quincy Library Conference Room at 445 Jackson St. in Quincy.
The American bullfrog is native to the eastern U.S. and Canada, but has quickly established itself around the world as an invasive species that easily displaces native species for food and space. Bullfrogs, potentially weighing over 2 pounds when mature, have an insatiable appetite, consuming anything they can fit in their mouths including insects, snakes, lizards, turtles, frogs, fish, rodents, bats and birds.
In the eastern U.S., predators largely keep bullfrog populations in check, but in California, that is typically not the case and populations continue to expand. In addition, bullfrogs are known carriers of chytrid fungus, which does not harm the bullfrogs, but is transmittable to other species of amphibians where it may have detrimental effects.Partners supporting the effort include the U.S. Forest Service, Plumas Audubon Society, Feather River College, Plumas Unified School District, Trout Unlimited, Plumas Corporation, and a group of concerned local citizens known as the Meadow Valley Amigos.
Meadow Valley residents with information about bullfrog locations are encouraged to attend this meeting or submit information to Colin Dillingham, Mt Hough Ranger District Wildlife Biologist, [email protected] or telephone 283-0555.
More information about the bullfrog may be found at: fs.usda.gov/plumas .
California annually imports some TWO MILLION American bullfrogs for human consumption, commonly sold in the state’s many live food markets in various “Chinatowns” in Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and elsewhere. T
Many of these bullfrogs are routinely purchased en masse and released into local waters, by “do-gooders” and certain Buddhist sects in “animal liberation” ceremonies. The bullfrogs prey upon and displace our native wildlife, eating baby pond turtles, baby ducks and other endangered or threatened species.
The CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife could stop this commerce, but fails to do so for political and financial reasons.
WRITE: Chuck Bonham, Director, DFW – email – [email protected]
Eric Mills, don’t blame Buddhists, I would blame Trump for making America white again!
If you want to keep the Bullfrogs in check, then lets bring in more Burmese Pythons, as long as they are not Buddhists!
Chuck,
I wrote you last year about this bullfrog thing. You have not done what many of us have asked…BAN the IMPORTATION of these destructive animals! I am sure you want to save your job and make sure the money keeps coming in to the Dept. Too bad for the amphibious and reptilian wild things here in California! Why do you not understand how important this is??
You should be PROTECTING the native animals but no, you are all about the money! Disgusting. F&W always has always been just that. Importing boars for hunting, pheasants and fallow deer, to name a few. And just to satisfy the rich hunters who were not happy to bag a native deer. All about the money!
I live in Shasta County, bullfrogs EVERYWHERE and few native species…