3 Sierra amphibians get federal ESA protections

Federal wildlife officials are granting Endangered Species Act protections to three species of Sierra Nevada amphibians.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Friday determined that two types of yellow-legged frog are endangered species, and that the Yosemite toad is threatened.

All three species once thrived in the mountains, but they are now found mostly at high elevations in national parks and public forests in California.

Government studies show the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog declined by nearly 70 percent, while the separate mountain yellow-legged frog species declined by more than 80 percent. The Yosemite toad’s population is down about 50 percent.

The service says habitat destruction, climate change and disease are all factors in the species’ decline.

The listing gives the animals legal protections from human-caused impacts.