Residents, conservationists urge Lincoln to protect Western spadefoot habitat as Village 5 and 7 projects advance

Speakers at a City of Lincoln council meeting on the evening of the regular session urged city officials and developers to protect the Western spadefoot, a locally rare amphibian, as the Village 5A and Village 7 development projects and Moore Road widening proceed.

The request matters because Western spadefoots rely on vernal pool and upland habitat in the Auburn Ravine watershed; speakers said Lincoln’s population may be one of the last stable groups in Placer County. Catherine Bruce Slater, former attorney for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and a Sierra Club Placer Group volunteer, told the council federal and state authorities are already flagging the species. “The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has designated Western spadefoots as a priority 1 species of special concern,” Slater said, and she noted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the species under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Public commenters described habitat fragmentation and road mortality on Moore Road as the primary threats. Marcia Schnapp, a…