SAVE THE FROGS! supporters from George Mason University are leading a protest in defense of frog populations this Saturday, September 4th, 5pm, at the Rio Grande Café in Arlington, VA. We are depending on you to join this valiant group of frog savers in protesting Rio Grande’s sales of frogs’ legs. The future of amphibious life on planet Earth is at stake, so stand up and make your voice heard this Saturday: the frogs are depending on you!

Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants have never responded to over 1,000 letters that SAVE THE FROGS! supporters have sent them regarding their sales of frog legs. The frog legs trade is responsible for the spread of infectious diseases and harmful invasive species, and the depletion of wild frog populations. One-third of the world’s amphibian species are already on the verge of extinction and thus a wealthy corporation like Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants has no business contributing to the further extinction of frog species.

With your help this Saturday we can educate the restaurants’ patrons about frog extinctions AND make the restaurant re-assess its deplorable environmental practices. With your help, I have no doubt we can get all 16 Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants to stop selling frog legs, just like San Francisco’s Restaurant Gary Danko did in April after we made our voices heard to them. But only with your help!

PLEASE TAKE A STAND THIS SATURDAY: IT’S UP TO YOU TO SAVE THE FROGS!

WHERE:
Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande Cafe,
4301 N. Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203

WHEN:
Saturday, September 4th
5pm-8pm

WHY:
Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants sell American Bullfrogs farm-raised in China. These frogs regularly escape their rearing facilities and spread infectious diseases to native frog populations. A recent study showed that up to 62% of the American Bullfrogs entering the USA for food are infected with the chytrid fungus, responsible for the extinction of up to 100 amphibian species worldwide. The bullfrogs are also voracious predators of native frogs and other native wildlife. Learn all about the frog legs trade here.

I can’t think of many ways worse ways for a frog to die than to get munched alive by a huge American Bullfrog, and I can’t think of many more excruciatingly slow ways for a frog to die than to have millions of chytrid fungi eating away at their skin until they finally go into cardiac arrest, their species being driven to complete extinction. You’re not going to let that be the fate of the world’s remaining frog populations are you?

Uncle Julio’s arrogantly ignores that their trade practices are contributing to the worldwide extinction of amphibian species. I’m a firm believer that citizens like me and you need to stand up to corporations that willingly destroy the environment without a care. That’s what the Rio Grande Café is doing, and you can help put an end to it, this Saturday at 5pm.

WHAT ARE THE PROTESTS LIKE?
They are fun, peaceful, fulfilling and enlightening. They will be even better with you there!
http://www.savethefrogs.com/frogblog/save-the-frogs/frog-legs-protests-a-huge-success/

WHAT IS THE GOAL?
The goal is to raise awareness of the problems related to the frog legs trade, and to persuade potential customers to boycott the restaurant, so that the Uncle Julio’s Corporation (which cares about money, not the environment) feels compelled to remove frog legs from their menu.

WHAT TO BRING:
A positive attitude! Assuming you have RSVP’d, we can provide you a sign. Or you can make one for yourself (e.g. “Rio Grande: Stop Driving Frogs To Extinction!” or “SAVE THE FROGS! Boycott Rio Grande”).

CAN I BRING MY KIDS?
Sure. The protests are peaceful and fun. Plus, kids can SAVE THE FROGS at least as well as adults.

I CAN’T ATTEND…WHAT CAN I DO?
(1) Email this message to anyone you know who cares about protecting wildlife.

(2) If you in the DC area, you can post one of these flyers at your office:

http://www.savethefrogs.com/actions/frog-legs/images/Flyer-Rio-Grande.pdf

(3) Everybody should call the restaurant at 703.528.3131 and tell them you do not plan to eat at their establishment until they remove frog legs from their menu (though you would be happy to if they removed the frog legs from the menu). Then email, call or write their CEO TODD Conger and tell him the same thing:
Todd Conger, CEO
Uncle Julio’s Corporation
1101 N. Union Bower, Suite 160
Irving, Texas 75061
Email: todd.conger@unclejulios.com
Phone: 972-554-6886

PLEASE RSVP IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE PROTEST!

QUESTIONS:
Email speakup@savethefrogs.com

THANKS AND SAVE THE FROGS!
Kerry Kriger, Ph.D.
SAVE THE FROGS! Founder, Executive Director & Ecologist

Sign up to receive the SAVE THE FROGS! newsletter at http://savethefrogs.com/newsletters

How many students at your university know that amphibians are in trouble? How many are actively working to protect the environment? Probably not enough! That’s where you come in! This brand new page lists some ideas on how to get SAVE THE FROGS! activities happening at your university.

“I am a student at Stony Brook University majoring in Environmental Sciences. I live on Cape Cod and my house is near an area loaded with vernal pools. For years now I have been working on getting these pools officially certified by the state as areas of critical environmental concern. I have documented spring peepers, tree frogs, wood frogs, green frogs, bull frogs, and yellow spotted salamanders that call these pools their home in the spring and summer. For years developers have been eyeing these areas as potential lots to build on. With the help of a few people we were able to get these areas protected and stop any development that may have occured there.

I just figured I would tell you what I have done on my part to help in this cause. I have also told many people about savethefrogs.com and the Annual Save The Frogs Day, I’ll continue to do what I can on my part to help protect these great creatures. I wish you the best of luck with everything.”
-Sean Kortis

The New Zealand government has voted to protect the critically endangered Archey’s Frog and the Hochstetter’s Frog, whose last strongholds were faced with the threat of mining as the Government proposed to remove legal protections from the land.

Thanks to the 1,275 SAVE THE FROGS! supporters who wrote letters to the New Zealand government urging them to protect the frogs. If the government’s plans had gone through, the critically endangered Archey’s Frog (Leiopelma archeyi) frogs would have almost certainly gone extinct.

The Archey’s Frog (above), and Hochstetter’s Frog (below): safe from mining — for now.

Press Release from the New Zealand Government
No land to be removed from Schedule 4
Tuesday, 20 July 2010, 10:38 am

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee and Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson announced today that the government has decided not to remove any land from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act for the purposes of further mineral exploration or extraction. Mr Brownlee said he had always made it clear the government was undertaking a genuine consultation process and had not made up its mind on any of the matters prior to the eight week discussion period which began on March 22. The government received 37,552 submissions on its discussion paper titled Maximising Our Mineral Potential: Stocktake of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act and beyond.
“The vast majority of submissions were focused on the proposal to remove 0.2 per cent of land from Schedule 4 to allow for wider mineral prospecting on those sites,” Mr Brownlee said. “Most of those submissions said we should not remove any land from Schedule 4. We heard that message loud and clear. “From my perspective this has been a valuable exercise. I suspect few New Zealanders knew the country had such considerable mineral potential before we undertook this process, and I get a sense that New Zealanders are now much more aware of that potential and how it might contribute to economic growth. “Essentially the discussion process identified where the minerals industry can and can’t go. As many people have pointed out, around 85 per cent of the country is not protected by Schedule 4, and a great deal of that land has mineral potential. “New Zealanders have given the minerals sector a clear mandate to go and explore that land, and where appropriate, within the constraints of the resource consent process, utilise its mineral resources for everyone’s benefit,” Mr Brownlee said.

The government has also decided to undertake a significant aeromagnetic survey of non Schedule 4 land in Northland and on the West Coast of the South Island to learn more about which areas have the highest concentrations of valuable minerals. “I am delighted to announce that the aeromagnetic survey in Northland will be conducted as a partnership between central government and the various agencies of local government in Northland.
“It is our expectation that when that data becomes available there will be an escalation of mineral exploration and extraction in those areas, which will be of benefit to the economies of both regions.” The technical exploration process will also make a major contribution to public good science by identifying and de-risking a range of hazards associated with soil and rock instability, which will assist with management of earthquakes and landslides.
Ms Wilkinson said the government had agreed to continue with its proposal to add 14 areas totalling 12,400 hectares of land to Schedule 4. In addition, in the future all areas given classifications equivalent to current Schedule 4 areas, such as national parks and marine reserves, will automatically become part of Schedule 4.
“We wanted to allay the fears of some submitters that the government may consider allowing mining in national parks in the future by taking this possibility off the table. This is an added layer of protection for New Zealand’s most highly valued conservation land,” Ms Wilkinson said. The discussion paper suggested the establishment of a conservation fund where a percentage of the royalties from mineral extraction on Schedule 4 land would be paid to the Crown for conservation purposes. “In the circumstances this is considered redundant and therefore won’t proceed,” Ms Wilkinson said.

Finally, the discussion paper proposed that application of access arrangements for Crown land for mineral development be considered by both the land holding Minister and the Minister of Energy and Resources, as opposed to the present practice of being considered by the land holding Minister only. The government has decided to amend the protocol so that both land holding Ministers and the Minister of Energy and Resources will now need to sign off on applications for access arrangements to Crown land for mineral developments

Questions and answers
1. What decisions has the government agreed to?
After carefully considering the feedback received on the Maximising Our Mineral Potential: Stocktake of Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act and Beyond discussion paper, the Government has agreed that:
i. No areas will be removed from Schedule 4 of the Crown Minerals Act.
ii. All of the 14 areas proposed for addition to Schedule 4 will be added to the schedule.
iii. A technical investigation will be undertaken of Northland (in strategic alliance with Northland Regional Council, the Far North District Council, and Enterprise Northland), the West Coast of the South Island and various other highly prospective areas in the South Island – excluding any Schedule 4 areas. This will identify mineral deposits and assist with hazard identification (for example, faults and slips), road maintenance and conservation planning.
iv. Areas given classifications equivalent to current Schedule 4 areas (for example, national parks and marine reserves) will in the future be automatically added to Schedule 4. Such classifications will be agreed by Cabinet.
v. Significant applications to mine on public conservation land will be publicly notified.
vi. The process for approval of mineral-related access arrangements over Crown land will be amended so that approvals are jointly decided by the land-holding minister and the Minister of Energy and Resources, and take into account criteria related to the economic, mineral and national significance of the proposal.
vii. The proposed conservation fund based on mineral royalties will not proceed.
The automatic inclusion of some types of public conservation land in Schedule 4, the process for classification of those classes of land, and public notification of mining applications on public conservation land were not proposed in the discussion paper but are decisions that have been adopted in response to the feedback received in submissions.
2. What response did the government receive on the discussion paper?
In total 37,552 submissions were received:
• 32,318 submissions were made by individuals using standard submission form templates provided by organisations such as Greenpeace and Forest & Bird.
• 5,234 unique submissions were made by individuals and organisations.

Changes to Schedule 4
3. The government has agreed to no land removals from Schedule 4; why and what protections will there be for high value conservation areas in the future?
New Zealanders have been clear that conservation areas and national parks in particular, are of abiding and deep importance to New Zealanders and should be protected – with the vast majority of submitters opposing the removal of all the areas identified in the discussion paper.
The government has heard this and has agreed that in future all national parks and other types of high value conservation value areas listed in Schedule 4 will be automatically added to the schedule and given protection from mining. This was not proposed in the discussion paper but decided based on feedback received.

4. What areas will be added to Schedule 4 and when?
All of the 14 areas proposed for addition in the discussion paper, totalling 12,400 hectares, will be added to the schedule. Almost all submissions supported this proposal. The areas to be added to Schedule 4 by October 2010 are:
Name Size (ha) Location
Marine Reserves
Horoirangi Marine Reserve 903 Nelson
Parininihi Marine Reserve 1,844 North Taranaki
Tapuae Marine Reserve 1,404 New Plymouth
Taputeranga Marine Reserve 855 Wellington
Te Paepae o Aotea (Volkner Rocks) Marine Reserve 1,267 White Island
Whangarei Harbour Marine Reserve 237 Whangarei
Coromandel/Hauraki Gulf Islands
Kaikoura Island Scenic Reserve 564 Great Barrier
Rakitu Island Scenic Reserve 253 Great Barrier
Land Areas
Abel Tasman National Park additions 914 Nelson
Burwood Bush Scientific Reserve 3,114 Southland
Egmont National Park additions 358 Taranaki
Ianthe Scientific Reserve 211 West Coast
Orokonui Nature Reserve 236 Dunedin
Paparoa National Park (northwest addition) 240 West Coast

The mineral investigation programme
5. What is the further technical investigation programme?

The discussion paper proposed further investigation of New Zealand’s geology to improve knowledge of mineral potential. Submitters recognised the value in this proposal. The investigation will also assist with hazard identification (for example, faults and slips), road maintenance and conservation planning.
Further work on the proposal has been completed, and the programme agreed by the government involves the following:
• an aeromagnetic survey over the Northland region in strategic alliance with local bodies
• an aeromagnetic survey over the West Coast of the South Island
• a desktop review, technical studies of existing samples, and selected hand sampling of the Longwood Complex in Southland and similar rocks in the inland Kaikoura Range
• desktop reviews, technical studies of existing samples, and selected hand sampling of the Riwaka Complex in northwest Nelson, seafloor rocks in both east Nelson and South Westland, and rocks north of Haast River that have the potential to host rare earth elements.
6. Will Schedule 4 areas be included in the programme?
No Schedule 4 areas will be included the programme.
7. What is the cost of the programme?

The estimated cost to the government is up to $4.5 million, subject to the tenders received for undertaking the work.
The aeromagnetic survey over the Northland region will be conducted in a strategic alliance with the Far North District Council and Northland Regional Council, who will contribute to the cost of the survey work, and Enterprise Northland.
8. What is an aeromagnetic survey?

An aeromagnetic survey is conducted from a high-flying aeroplane and involves measuring characteristics naturally occurring in the earth. It includes both magnetic and radiometric surveying. A magnetic survey involves measuring the magnetic characteristics of the ground below using a magnetometer, while radiometric surveying involves measuring naturally occurring radiation in the soils and rocks below. Interpretation of this data can be used for a wide variety of applications. In terms of Northland and the West Coast, the enhanced knowledge of prospective areas is anticipated to increase exploration interest and consequently, investment, in the areas. Both surveys will also make a significant contribution to public good science.

9. What will be the public science benefit of the aeromagnetic surveys?
Magnetic surveying will map rock-type variations and show rock structure, such as faults, that will assist with hazard science and engineering, identification of slip hazards, and road maintenance and realignment, as well as improving knowledge of the mineralisation of areas.
Radiometric surveying will assist with the detection of geothermal systems (and energy), as well as improving knowledge of the mineralisation of areas. For Northland in particular, this will be helpful in determining the extent that geothermal systems extend under conservation land. Radiometrics also have strong soil mapping applications, which may assist the Department of Conservation in better understanding and managing flora distribution and biodiversity.

Automatic inclusion to Schedule 4 and reclassification of conservation areas

10. What has been agreed re automatic inclusion to Schedule 4?
Many submitters thought that those conservation areas listed by class in Schedule 4, such as national parks, should automatically be included in Schedule 4, providing those areas with explicit protection from most mineral-related activity immediately on their classification.
The government agrees, and will be amending the Crown Minerals Act 1991 accordingly. To ensure that all considerations, including renewable energy uses, tourism and the mineral potential of the area are considered up front, conservation classification proposals will be signed off by Cabinet in the future (currently the Minister of Conservation makes those decisions alone).

Public notification of mining applications on public conservation land
11. What has the government agreed to, and why?

The government has agreed in principle that significant applications to mine on public land should be publicly notified – currently no notification is required. This proposal was not raised in the discussion paper as an issue for discussion, but the government has noted public feedback on this matter and is responding accordingly.
The proposal will ensure that mining-related applications are treated in the same way as other applications for access to conservation land. The change will provide an opportunity for affected people and businesses to have their views taken into account when decisions are made about mining applications of significance.

Changes to arrangements for access to Crown land
12. What has the government agreed to, and why?
Decisions regarding access to land for mineral-related activity are to be made jointly by the landholding minister and the Minister of Energy and Resources. While many submitters considered a change in decision making on access arrangements would increase the likelihood that access to Crown land for mineral development would be granted, Cabinet has concluded that the current provisions are insufficient to ensure that economic and mineral objectives are properly considered. In addition to considering the purpose for which the land is held and the management plans relating to it, ministers will also be required to take into account criteria relating to the economic, mineral and national significance of the proposal.

In terms of the conservation fund proposal
13. Why is the Government not proceeding with the conservation fund?

The fund was proposed as a means of ensuring that the conservation sector benefited from mining activities that might have occurred in future on Schedule 4 lands. However, no land will be removed from the schedule.

In addition, 88 per cent of responses did not support the proposal to establish a fund. Most of these stated that it was not appropriate to fund the preservation of conservation land from the revenue derived from mining.

Timing of decisions
14. When will decisions come into effect?
It will be several months before changes can be enacted.

This weekend, myself and other SAVE THE FROGS! supporters descended upon Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants in Arlington, VA and Bethesda, MD and educated well over a thousand people about frog extinctions and the multi-million dollar restaurant chain’s deplorable environmental policies. To date, the company has refused to acknowledge the 800+ letters we have sent them regarding their participation in the ecologically-destructive frog legs trade. The company’s environmental policy has been “ignore the problem and it will go away”, but I have no doubt that the company is quickly realizing that they are soon going to have to confront the issue…or face losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenues. Here’s my recap of the weekend events:

Friday, July 2 — Arlington, VA
I arrived at 5:30pm with two fellow protesters. Yes…only three of us, but who says a small group of dedicated people can’t make a huge impact? We came bearing flourescent yellow signs and were immediately greeted by the restaurant manager, the property manager and a private security guard the restaurant had hired. I introduced myself, informed them that I was a long-time customer and had received no response from their CEO regarding my concerns and thus we were here to celebrate the 4th of July weekend by exercising our right to free speech, and that if they wanted us to leave, they could simply remove the frog legs from their menus. The property manager then lied to me and told me that her company owned the sidewalk surrounding the restaurant. I let her know that the police department had assured me that it was indeed public property and therefore if she had an issue, she could call the police, which she did.

The police were not in a hurry to arrive so, we stood outside the restaurant’s busy patio area showing the patrons and passersby our signs, and distributing literature about the frog legs trade, and the company’s deplorable environmental policies:

Eventually a policewoman arrives and I explain that we are standing on public property abiding by the law, and she confirms our right to be there. The property manager then lied to the policewoman claiming that her company owned the sidewalk, but the policewoman didn’t budge. The property manager was clearly unhappy at this verdict:

After the policewoman’s partner informed me that he liked what we were doing, we spent the next three hours talking to passersby and deterring potential patrons from entering the restaurant. The restaurant manager (who walked away every time I tried to talk to her) was clearly disturbed by the night’s events, and spent most of the time on her phone:

It didn’t take long to realize that three protesters could easily make ourselves and our cause known to every restaurantgoer and every person walking down the street. Several people informed us that they were about to eat at the restaurant but would instead go elsewhere, and i have no doubt that many of the patron’s will think twice before returning to an Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurant. All in all an enjoyable, productive evening!

Friday, July 3 — Bethesda, MD
This evening there were lots of people out and about: a perfect night to protest in defense of the frogs. The restaurant manager — who had already experienced a Save The Frogs Day protest at his restaurant — approached me before I even got within a block of his restaurant. Apparently, they must have received photos and a warning about me, a good compliment! The manager wasn’t alone; his large counterpart introduced himself as Montgomery County Police (though he was not in uniform!). He showed me a letter from the property manager, and a Google Map with a highlighter on it, which in his mind “proved” that the entire 4 blocks surrounding the restaurant was private property, including all the sidewalks. I told him that anybody can print a Google Map and color it in, and that until he showed me an official document, I’d be walking the street with my bright yellow sign, unless of course he agreed to remove the frog legs from his menus. “Oh by the way, where’s your uniform?” After mis-representing himself as an on-duty police officer, it became apparent that this “policeman” was really just working his night job: private security for Uncle Julio.

They called the police. The policewoman informed me she really liked frogs and what we were doing, and that indeed we were allowed to be here protesting — so long as we remain in motion. In Bethesda apparently, the 1st amendment is only in effect while you walk. No problem; myself and three other SAVE THE FROGS! supporters spent the next few hours walking the crowded sidewalks of Bethesda Row, talking to hundreds of supportive people about frogs and Rio Grande. The restaurant manager took lots of photos of us each time we walked by his establishment. It was quite clear he was having a bad night, and I’m quite certain that he was coming to the full realization that we would indeed be back indefinitely until his company removed frog legs from their menus. And indeed we will be.

Who says protesting can’t be fun?

The mathematics of protests
Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande does not care about the environment, they care only about their profits…so all we have to do is make them lose money until they are forced to remove the frog legs from their menu. If we had only three protesters out front of all 16 Uncle Julio’s restaurants 2 nights per week, 52 weeks a year, and each restaurant lost only $100 each time we were there…the company would lose $166,400 in revenues in a year!!! That’s plenty enough to make them address the issue, so we just have to keep the pressure on!

Please attend or help promote a protest by filling out this form!

Conor Finnegan of ABC News recently interviewed SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger. A transcript of that interview follows.

-Do you have any idea how many restaurants sell frogs’ legs?
I do not know this number, but one of our volunteers compiled a list of 75 LA-area restaurants that sell frog legs. As frog legs are likely more common in the southeast US than in LA, I’m sure there are thousands of restaurants in the USA that sell frog legs. I have confirmed that Wegman’s and Food Lion supermarkets sell frog legs as well; Food Lion has 1,200 locations.

-How common is the dish?
It has been estimated that globally 100 million frogs are taken out of the wild for use as food each year. The number of farm-raised frogs is thought to be even higher, and the majority of these farm raised frogs are American Bullfrogs being raised outside their native range…they spread chytrid fungus and they escape their farms and eat native wildlife.

-Is its popularity on the rise?
The Eating Frogs To Extinction paper predicts that America will soon overtake France and Belgium to become the #1 frog consumer on the planet.

-What can be done to combat it? Anything else to add?
Education is the number one defense. We need to make sure people know that frogs are rapidly going extinct, that the frog legs trade contributes to the problem, and that there are more ecologically-friendly food alternatives. Once eating frogs is taboo (like eating cats, dogs or horses), it will not be a problem.

-Anything else to add?
Our campaign has begun with Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants because they are a multi-million dollar Tex-Mex chain, that would not suffer if they were to remove frog legs from their menu. As their CEO has refused to respond to any of our 800+ letters, we are taking the pro-active stance and visibly protesting in front of their restaurants, with the goal of decreasing their revenues to the point where they will be forced to deal with the issue. We have no doubt this will work. This will not be the last restaurant chain we will be contacting, but I certainly hope that others will be more concerned with their corporation’s effect on the environment, and be more willing to assist worldwide frog conservation efforts by removing the frog legs from their menus.

You can send this letter to the New Zealand government by visiting the SAVE THE FROGS! Take Action page!

Mr. Gerry Brownlee
Minister of Economic Development
schedule4@med.govt.nz

Dear Mr. Brownlee,
I am writing to urge you to maintain all Schedule 4 protections on New Zealand’s currently protected conservation areas. These wilderness lands received such protection to ensure the long-term survival of New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna, and these lands are the basis on which New Zealand’s outdoor tourism economy is based. Removing the protections from these areas would ensure the extinction of the Archey’s Frog (Leiopelma archeyi), and would cause significant damage to New Zealand’s reputation as a tourist destination of unmatched natural beauty.

The survival of all the earth’s inhabitants depends on healthy ecosystems, and the land the Government is proposing to remove from Schedule 4 has extremely high value for New Zealand wildlife. In particular, New Zealand is home to some of the world’s most threatened frog species, at least one of which would almost certainly go extinct should mining be allowed to take place in their habitat. The Archey’s Frog and Hochstetter’s Frog, both which live on the land in question, have been labeled two of the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered frog species on the planet. Unfortunately, the Archey’s Frog has lost 88% of its population in the last 14 years, and neither species can be bred in captivity, meaning that the government’s proposal — should it go through — could banish the species to their permanent and premature demise. With one-third of the world’s amphibian species already on the brink of extinction, this would be absolutely unacceptable.

Furthermore, New Zealand has an international reputation as being one of the most beautiful places in the world, and this natural beauty is the source of the tourism industry on which all New Zealander’s depend. Removing Schedule 4 protections from New Zealand’s prime conservation areas would tarnish the country’s image, and cost the nation far more that any short-term gains brought by mining currently protected lands.

Removing the proposed lands’ Schedule 4 protections would be in the worst interest of New Zealand and all its inhabitants. As such, I strongly urge you to act on behalf of New Zealand’s threatened frog species and the long-term future of all New Zealanders: abandon all research into mining the proposed areas, and do not remove Schedule 4 protections from any of the country’s currently listed conservation areas.

Thanks for your consideration.
Dr. Kerry Kriger
SAVE THE FROGS! Founder, Executive Director & Ecologist

Victory for California’s native amphibians!

Millions of non-native American Bullfrogs enter San Francisco and Los Angeles each year from ports in China, Taiwan, Brazil and Uruguay. These farm-raised frogs are known carriers of a deadly chytrid fungus that has decimated California’s Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Populations, and caused the complete extinction of up to 100 amphibian species worldwide. One study showed that over 60% of the American Bullfrogs tested in California markets were infected with this deadly fungus! Being farmed around the world has also enabled the bullfrogs to become harmful invasive species that prey on native wildlife — both overseas, and right here in California. The endangered California Red-Legged Frogs are a favorite food of the predatory bullfrogs.

On April 8th, 2010, the CA Department of Fish & Game made the wise decision to ban the importation of non-native frogs and turtles for food. Unfortunately, a vocal minority of restaurant and supermarket owners successfully lobbied the Fish & Game Commission to hold a “re-consideration” of that ruling.

On May 19th, 2010, SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger testified at the Commission’s May 19th “reconsideration” hearing, highlighting the spread of infectious disease and invasive species that inevitably accompany the frog legs trade. Not only did the Commission vote 3-2 to maintain the ban on the importation of non-native frogs and turtles for use as food, they also voted to research methods of enforcing the ban and ensuring invasive species do not slip into the state via potential loopholes.

Thanks to the 1,196 SAVE THE FROGS! supporters letters that sent in letters to the Department of Fish & Game over the past 4 days!

Dr. Kriger’s letter to the Fish & Game Commission follows:
“My name is Dr. Kerry Kriger. I am the Founder & Executive Director of SAVE THE FROGS!, America’s first and only public charity dedicated to amphibian conservation. Our mission is to protect amphibian populations and to promote a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. I have been involved in environmental conservation for 14 years, and have worked full time on amphibian conservation for 7 years.

On behalf of SAVE THE FROGS!, on behalf of our 300+ members and 1,300+ financial supporters, and on behalf of California’s 16 threatened amphibian species, I urge you to maintain the ban on the importation of non-native frogs and turtles into California for use as food. Reversing this ban would ensure the continued and magnified spread of harmful invasive species and pathogens, and thus would be in the worst interest of California’s ecosystems and all the state’s inhabitants.

Invasive species are one of the most significant threats to biodiversity in California and worldwide, and they are also one of the most costly: the Nature Conservancy estimates that invasive species cost Americans 120 billion dollars each year.

Millions of non-native American Bullfrogs enter San Francisco and Los Angeles each year from ports in China, Taiwan, Brazil, Uruguay and elsewhere. These farm-raised frogs are known carriers of a deadly chytrid fungus that has decimated California’s native frog populations and caused the complete extinction of up to 100 amphibian species worldwide. A recent study showed that over 60% of the American Bullfrogs tested in California markets were infected with this deadly fungus.

Being farmed around the world has also enabled the bullfrogs to become harmful invasive species that prey on native wildlife – both overseas, and right here in California. For example, the endangered California Red-Legged Frog is a favorite prey item of the predatory bullfrogs.

So long as non-native frogs and turtles are brought into the state, it is inevitable that some will escape or be set free and establish populations. It is also inevitable that the waterborne pathogens these animals carry will enter Californian ecosystems, as the regulation and sterilization of used water from the animal’s tanks would not be feasible. Eradication of invasive species and pathogens is nearly impossible.

Though assertions have been put forth that this ban improperly targets Asian communities due to the lack of a concurrent regulation of non-native frogs and turtles for use as pets, two wrongs do not make a right: a lack of proper regulation of the pet industry does not justify a failure to act intelligently with the food industry. Indeed I also urge the Department of Fish & Game to consider similar regulations on the import of non-native frogs and turtles for use as pets.

Also, the claim that this ban harms traditional Chinese culture is flawed:

First: the vast majority of the frogs being imported for food are American Bullfrogs, which have only a very recent history in Chinese cuisine; and

Second: Cultures necessarily evolve: if they did not, we would have long since eaten the buffalo and the California Red-Legged Frog to complete extinction, as we did the passenger pigeons.

As Americans, we are fortunate to have many choices of food, and thus it is our responsibility to act wisely and ensure that our culinary decisions are not unduly impacting our natural heritage and the future of our planet. As such, I request the Fish & Game Commission and the Department of Fish & Game uphold the ban on the importation of non-native frogs and turtles into California.

Thanks for your consideration.
Dr. Kerry Kriger

The world’s first protests in defense of amphibian populations took part on the 2nd Annual Save The Frogs Day (April 30th, 2010). Richard Scordato of Black & White recently interviewed SAVE THE FROGS! Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger about the protests. The transcript of this interview follows.

1. When did you start your protest of Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande and why?
Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants sell frog legs, the trade of which is responsible for the depletion of wild frog populations, the spread of harmful infectious diseases, and the spread of invasive species. Amphibians are rapidly disappearing worldwide, and Americans consume 20% of the world’s frog legs. There is no reason for a high-end Tex-Mex restaurant to be a contributor to the global amphibian extinction crisis. I began writing Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande headquarters in December 2009. They failed to respond to any of my three Federal Express letters, multiple emails or phone calls, so SAVE THE FROGS! began organizing protests in mid-April.

2. How have you protested Rio Grande? Have you been successful?
The world’s first protests in defense of frog populations took place at four of their restaurants (Dallas, Arlington, VA, Fairfax, VA and Bethesda, MD) on the 2nd Annual Save The Frogs Day, April 30th 2010, which was the largest day of amphibian education and conservation action in the planet’s history, with 85 events in 21 countries.

The goal of the protests are two-fold: (1) educate passersby about amphibian extinctions and (2) decrease the restaurant chain’s profits until they have no choice but to remove frog legs from their menus. Unfortunately, many businesses are like Rio Grande, in that their profits are their sole motivating factor, with no regard for the environment or the communities in which they exist.

The Save The Frogs Day protests were successful at educating hundreds of passersby about the problems associated with the frog legs trade. The protests were also successful in that they cost Rio Grande money. SAVE THE FROGS! supporters diverted many potential diners from eating at the restaurants, and many of the restaurants hired private security guards for the day. At the Bethesda location, eight security guards followed our protesters around for 6 hours, even though we had made it clear to the restaurants in advance that they would be peaceful protests.

3. What are the general ramifications of Rio Grande’s serving frog leg’s?
The American Bullfrogs they sell are farm-raised in China. Such frog farms pack hundreds to thousands of frogs in close quarters, where they are known to contract and spread a deadly chytrid fungus that has driven up to 100 amphibian species to complete extinction worldwide. The bullfrogs also regularly escape their holding pens and wreak damage on native frog populations, as they are large frogs that eat anything they can fit in their mouths.

4. What are your plans for protesting Rio Grande further?
We will continue to protest at Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande restaurants indefinitely until the business either gets sold, goes bankrupt, or removes frog legs from their menus. Clearly the latter would be the optimal solution for all parties.

5. Have your protested any other business’s about their mistreatment of frogs?
Uncle Julio’s Rio Grande is the first such business, but they will likely not be the last. However, we would never protest any business without first informing them of the problems they are creating, and offering alternatives.

We seek people to participate in the protests at Uncle Julio’s restaurants in TX, MD, VA, IL, GA and FL, and also people to help promote them. If interested, please email contact@savethefrogs.com
Thanks!

The magnificent wetlands and wildlife wilderness of Lough Boora not only host some of the most innovative environmental sculptures in Ireland, they are also the site of Ireland’s inaugural Save The Frogs Day event.

60 Degrees by Kevin O’Dwyer and Sky Train by Mike Bulfin

Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders are one of the oldest groups of air breathing animals on our planet. They are diverse survivors that have lived through many of the past global extinction events- including the large-scale catastrophes that wiped out many of the dinosaurs! Unfortunately, something now is causing the rapid disappearance of the 5,000 known species, about one third of them are in decline or already extinct. Loss and modifications of habitats, emerging diseases, climate change is all considered among the many causes for mass amphibian declines. To save this unique and important group of creatures it will take our help!

Join artist and amphibian biologist, Brandon Ballengee, on a special event dedicated to the frogs and newts of Lough Boora Parklands. Together we will discuss current challenges facing amphibians, learn ways we can help and participate in an amphibian ecology field trip to survey local species. This event is held as part of the 2nd Annual Save The Frogs Day, the largest day of amphibian education and conservation in the planet’s history.

The talk and walk on April 30th is open to the public and we hope you will be able to attend. We will meet at Teach Lea Community Hall at 11 am.

Where: Sculpture in the Parklands
When: SAVE THE FROGS DAY, Friday April 30th at 11am

System no. 30 by Julian Wild

For further information please contact:
Kevin O’Dwyer
Sculpture in the Parklands
087 696 3779

Be sure to visit the Save The Frogs Day website

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Inviting artists to create significant site-specific works of art during the artist in residency programme each year, the mission of Sculpture in the Parklands is to inspire artists to create artworks in response to the unique landscape and industrial heritage of the cut away bogland and to build awareness of the arts within the community through public participation and interaction. In the wetlands and wildlife wilderness of Lough Boora, inspired by the rich natural and industrial legacy of the boglands, the artists have created a series of large-scale sculptures that are now part of the Parklands permanent collection. In addition to permanent sculpture and time-based work, the project has a commitment to commissioning video artists, composers, choreographers, and performance artists to interpret and document this unique landscape, folklore and industrial history.

Press Release From The San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research
April 15, 2010

The endangered mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) will take a major step in its recovery this week when, for the first time, scientists reintroduce its eggs to its former habitat. This reintroduction will occur at University of California Riverside’s James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, part of the University of California Natural Reserve System, and will be done in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. Once common throughout much of southern California, the mountain yellow-legged frog has been decreasing in numbers since the 1970s due to what scientists call the “perfect storm” that is affecting frog populations around the globe — decreasing habitat, increasing pollution and invasive species, the spread of the deadly chytrid fungus and the effects of climate change. Today, only a small wild population of less than 200 individuals can be found in the San Gabriel, San Bernardino, and San Jacinto Mountains.

In 2006, scientists collected mountain yellow-legged frog tadpoles from the remaining wild populations in the San Jacinto Mountains and took them to the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research where, for the first time, specialists were able to establish a captive breeding program for the species. This year’s reproductive season at the Zoo has been so successful that scientists have decided to attempt a reintroduction into the wild.

There are 61 mountain yellow-legged frogs at the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research. Scientists attempted to spur breeding in January by putting half of that population into a cooler that mimicked high mountain winter conditions. The chill caused the frogs to hibernate. About two weeks ago the frogs were taken out of the coolers and began displaying breeding behaviors within a few days. “Three months ago the San Diego Zoo started an experimental procedure of chilling these frogs to see how it would affect breeding. It has been wildly successful and as a result today we can reintroduce about 500 eggs into the San Jacinto Mountains” said Jeff Lemm Research Coordinator for the San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research “This is a momentous day – the first reintroduction of these endangered frog eggs ever back into their natural habitat and the San Diego Zoo is thrilled to be a part of it”. They selected the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve for this reintroduction because it is a protected area with ideal habitats in the species’ former range.

The mountain yellow-legged frog is one of three Southern California frog or toad species on the Federal Endangered Species List. Biologists from the USGS will be responsible for the initial phase of the reintroduction, and will be releasing egg masses into deep permanent pools, followed by the additional release of tadpoles later in the year. They will then closely monitor the health and success of the reintroduction. It will take two years for the tadpoles to morph into adults and as they are not a migratory species the frogs will stay in the creek within the bounds of the protected reserve where they can be easily monitored. “This is an amazing first step in the recovery program for this wonderful frog, and we are looking forward to having the frogs here for a long time to come” said Becca Fenwick, Director of the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve.

For more information please contact Adam Backlin, Ecologist for the USGS; (714) 508 4702, abacklin@usgs.gov, or Dani Dodge Medlin, San Diego Zoo’s Public Relations Representative; (619) 685 3291. Photo and video of the release will be made available Friday by the San Diego Zoo.
The James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve is one of thirty-six University of California run reserves throughout the state protecting over 135,000 acres. The Natural Reserve System was established in 1965 to protect and make available natural lands for research, university level instruction and public outreach. The system of reserves broadly represents California’s rich ecological diversity, provides protected locations for long-term study and opportunities for outdoor education. The NRS is the largest university operated system of natural reserves in the world. For more information on the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, or the NRS contact Becca Fenwick or visit www.jamesreserve.edu

USGS provides science for a changing world. For more information, visit www.usgs.gov.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to
conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for
the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific
excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

The San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research is dedicated to generating, sharing and applying scientific knowledge vital to the conservation of animals, plants and habitats worldwide. The work of the Institute includes onsite research efforts at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, laboratory work the at Arnold and Beckman Center for Conservation Research, and international field programs involving more than 180 researchers working in 35 countries. In addition to the Beckman Center for Conservation Research, the Institute also operates the Anne and Kenneth Griffin Reptile Conservation Center, the Botanical Conservation Center, the Keauhou and Maui Hawaiian Bird Conservation Centers and the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center. The Zoo also manages the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, which includes a 900-acre native species reserve, and the San Diego Zoo. The important conservation and science work of the entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.