Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes 300% Increase in California Red-legged Frog Critical Habitat The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) today opened a 60-day comment period on a new plan to designate 1.8 million acres as critical habitat for the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii), an area that is 300 per cent larger than a 2006 designation for the species. The new proposal is the result of a rigorous scientific review conducted by Region 8 (California-Nevada) biologists, at the direction of Service Director Dale Hall. In July 2007 Hall told the Region's biologists to independently review a 2006 critical habitat rule and propose changes if, in their scientific judgment, changes were needed to assure the scientific integrity of the plan. Hall took that step after concluding that there may have inappropriate influence on the 2006 rule by former Department of Interior personnel....