Monterey County land for Mark Twain frogs

Monterey County land protected for Mark Twain's celebrated jumping frog: "Mark Twain celebrated them, hungry gold prospectors ate them, and rural landowners cursed the name of the California red-legged frog."

In high school Krizia and I volunteered as science camp cabin leaders at Camp Campbell for a week. It was either her cabin, or my cabin, or some other guy's cabin that had the "red-legged frog" as a designated animal. I came across this article and my interest was sparked by Mark Twain, because I think he is a brilliant author/person. Then I saw that the article was about the frogs. Dun dun Dun.

The frog's population has been dwindling because of farmers, ranchers, and developers that have, for years now, gotten all-Avatar on the poor croakers. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made its THIRD attempt to set up frog protection rules. They are hoping to set aside a 150,000 acre protective habitat for the red-legged frogs.

These guys have meaty jumping legs, which any respectable Illinoian would love to gobble up in heaps. They have been hunted ever since time! Not really - hunted at least since 1867 when Twain published "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in newspapers and short stories. As time passed by, lots of developments left the froggies with sustainable habitats in only 28 of the 58 California counties (1996).

After a slight case of fraud in the Bush administration (government pressured scientists to alter findings - such a shame!), the new proposal outlines about 1.6 million acres in various counties to protect them. In our county, good ol' Monterey County, designated areas include 519 acres in the Elkhorn Slough (Moss Landing), 27,000 acres in Big Sur, and 119,000 acres along the Carmel River. Effects: developers will not be able to do anyyyything that could destroy those habitat lands.

"What might it be that you've got in the box?"

And Smiley says, sorter indifferent like, "It might be a parrot, or it might be a canary, may be, but it an't it's only just a frog."

And the feller took it, and looked at it careful, and turned it round this way and that, and says, "H'm so 'tis. Well, what's he good for?"

"Well," Smiley says, easy and careless, "He's good enough for one thing, I should judge he can outjump any frog in Calaveras county."    ...want more Twain?