Environment roundup

One Comment

  • Re: invisible frogs, aka Mississippi gopher frog.

    Seems almost anything gopher related can be frustrating for homeowners. Thurston County, WA, has a sub-species of pocket gopher that has practically shut down development.
    Even though it thrives on the gunnery range at Ft. Lewis, “any landowner or developer planning to build a single family home with a gopher on the property would be forced to pay $42,000 in habitat offset fees.”

    https://www.google.com/amp/mynorthwest.com/554485/mazama-pocket-gopher-thurston-county/amp/

    While the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife is unable to release DNA samples that would demonstrate Thurston County’s pocket gophers are a sub-species, and it is a federal crime to obtain your own, they have a sketch made by E. R. Johnson in the 1960s showing a well-endowed variant. Sort of a pocket rocket gopher.
    While that is something for proud Thurston County residents to admire, the Board of Supervisors has wildly over-reacted in what can only be seen as a grab for cash.