Sharp Park Has Court On Its Side, For Now

Bill Fields reports on a reprieve until next July's trial on the future of Sharp Park.

A group of non-profit conservation groups has sued the City of San Francisco, arguing that the operation of the course has caused "taking" of the frog, a threatened species, and the snake, an endangered species. The city and advocates of Sharp Park, including the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, argued that the course has been taking actions to protect the two species, including egg masses of the frog.

In denying the injunctive relief, Illston noted that "experts for both sides agree that the overall Sharp Park frog population has increased during the last 20 years" and cited the testimony of Dr. Mark Jennings, a herpetologist and fisheries biologist, one of the scientists to originally petition that the California Red-Legged Frog be listed under the Endangered Species Act. Jennings testified of Sharp Park that "there are relatively few sites within the current geographic range of the species that have such large populations of adult frogs."