Landowners concerned with frog habitat plan The California red-legged frog that helped make Calaveras County famous long ago has now become infamous among some local groups. Proposed expansion of designated critical habitat for the frog, declared a threatened species in 1996, calls for a 4,449-acre section of the county to be part of a statewide expansion of protected areas for the amphibian. According to the California Farm Bureau Federation, FWS rules allow ranching activities to continue despite potential for "taking" of a protected species. However, the Farm Bureau notes the proposed designation can harm ranchers who participate in conservation programs under the federal farm bill as they could see applications delayed by lengthy consultation requirements subsequently imposed. Concern for the frogs' habitat has previously stirred up snags in projects in northern Calaveras County. In January 2007, the Army Corps of Engineers refused to issue a permit to clean up Cosgrove Creek in Valley Springs, making flooding a greater hazard within the area. Franziska Schabram, a Valley Springs rancher, called the delay on repairs to Gillam Road, held up by frog habitat considerations, "a nightmare." Initially, Schabram said she was "kind of excited" when told red-legged frogs were found on the ranch she bought with her husband three years ago. "That's part of the heritage here," she said. However, the gravel road could not be maintained by the county because of the discovery and "fell into total disrepair," she said....