[MARINE_BIOLOGY_INTERNATIONAL] Quest to save rare frog poses expensive problem

Quest to save rare frog poses expensive problem

Feb 01, 2012 3:37 PM EST

A nearly extinct amphibian could pose a multimillion dollar problem for St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana's largest landowner.

The Mississippi gopher frog hasn't been seen on Edward Poitevent's land in nearly 50 years, but the fight to save it could still affect him.

"They basically will go extinct in the wild if the habitat isn't there to support them, so they become kind of relics that we keep in captivity," Audubon Amphibian Curator Nick Hanna said.

Officials said the frog that's causing a stir doesn't even really live in Louisiana.

However, only about 150 of the frogs still exist on the planet and their home is in southern Mississippi.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service said it has its eyes on about 1,500 acres in St. Tammany Parish that could be a critical habitat for the disappearing amphibian.

Poitevent said his family has owned the land adjacent to Highway 36 near Lacombe for about 100 years and the frog hasn't been seen there in half a century.

"That is correct. The frog is not there. We cannot reintroduce it because the habitat is not there," Poitevent said.

With plans to develop the land along Highway 36, Poitevent said he stands to lose as much as $36 million if his property is ultimately declared a critical habitat for the Mississippi gopher frog.

"This is a proposal, nothing's a done deal. Just because we are looking at that and considering that area, we can't go there, we can't do anything without his permission," said Cary Norquist, of U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

To sustain the frog, the habitat would have to undergo regular controlled burns.

"I don't think the Fish and Wildlife service has considered implications such as fire and smoke drifting onto Highway 36 and the danger that would create," Poitevent said.

In the meantime, Hanna and others at Audubon Zoo and around the country are attempting to breed the frogs in captivity.

He said re-introducing them into the wild is another story.

"It's a balancing act. You want to make everybody happy, you also want to help the frogs at the same time," Hanna said.

Everyone involved said they agree the frog should be saved.

The problem still remains as to how to do that.

NBC News