Via today's LA Times, the city of Pasadena has decided to delay removing 25,000 square yards of dirt directly adjoining the Devil's Gate Dam in order to preserve toad habitat.
LA County has been working on a plan to remove sediment directly adjoining Devil's Gate Dam in order to effect repairs and restore function to the choked-up flood control area. The county was planning on piling the sediment at Johnson Field, an unused area next to the dam owned by the city of Pasadena, in order to minimize the effect of increased truck traffic on the streets of Altadena. The Johnson Field debris would eventually be trucked out as part of the "big dig," a planned four year removal of sediment behind the Devil's Gate Dam that is now stopped pending environmental review.
However, Johnson Field is a habitat for toads when it's wet, as it is now. The city of Pasadena will reconsider in August what to do with the Johnson Field site after it has dried out and the toads have moved on. Check the Joe Piasecki's LA Times story for full details.
