MADISON, Wis. – The state endangered species folks and the giant CenturyTel corporation have a tentative agreement to minimize the dangers of extinction for a tiny frog whose habitat is threatened by a proposed cable-laying project in the lower marshlands of the Trempealeau River. CenturyTel would search for the half-inch Blanchard’s cricket frog and relocate them 300 feet downstream. Other wildlife, including snakes, would be similarly relocated to prevent “dehydration, desiccation and eventually mortality.” This is all in a narrow strip along State Highway 35 midway downstream from Dodge. The state Natural Resources Department has asked for public comment by May 13. Among other provisions:
> Training construction crews about the vulnerability of the frogs.
> Contracting an environmentalist to monitor searches for frogs, counting them as they are found, and tracking their relocation.
> Removing vegetation manually in search of frogs and then restoring the vegetation.
> Conducting three walk-through searches for frogs, even in crayfish burrows, small mammal burrows, rotted out root channels and seepage areas.
> Using biodegradable matting, not polypropylene, to prevent erosion.
> Using only plow-ripping techniques to dig a path for new telephone cables.
> Reseeding disturbed areas.
> Avoiding frog breeding seasons, especially because the frogs live only 16 to 18 months.
> Maintaining the area with a native seed mix for two years to assure native plants are re-established.
The cable route is one mile long and totals one-eighth of an acre.
Quite the jumper. Blanchard’s cricket frogs are among the best jumping amphibians at three to six feet in one jump. Think of a 5-foot person jumping 180 feet.