Preliminary Injunction Filed To Protect Imperiled Species At Sharp Park

On Friday, September 23, 2011, in the federal district court for the Northern District of California, we filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against the City and County of San Francisco concerning the City’s take of the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake at Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, California. During winter rains the City pumps massive volumes of water from Horse Stable Pond in Sharp Park out to the ocean. This pumping lowers Park water levels, stranding red-legged frog egg masses and tadpoles. The City also routinely mows grasses in habitat for the frog and the garter snake, causing additional take of these ESA-protected species. Plaintiffs’ motion is supported by declarations from three of the leading experts on these species, who detail the ways in which the City’s management of the golf course is harming these species and their habitat. Plaintiffs are asking that the Court enjoin the City from pumping water from Horse Stable Pond, or mowing grasses in the proximity of Sharp Park water bodies, until the case can be resolved on the merits. A hearing on the preliminary injunction is scheduled for November 18, 2011.