Isn’t the golf course the reason the endangered species are found at Sharp Park?
Some have argued that the golf course and sea wall are the only reason that the San Francisco garter snake and the California red-legged frog exist at Sharp Park. They say this is so because the golf course and sea wall somehow prevent Laguna Salada from becoming too saline for these animals to survive. This argument is demonstrably false. As a preliminary matter, the California red-legged frog is relatively tolerant to salinity for an amphibian, which is why we have exemplary coastal populations at places like Rodeo Lagoon at Fort Cronkhite and Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes. Indeed, a little bit of salinity is good for the frog, because the non-native, invasive, and predatory bullfrog is less tolerant of salt, and so a little salinity actually ensures that the California red-legged frog population remains robust while the bullfrog population is constrained. Historically, both the California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake thrived at Sharp Park: until the golf course
