Opposing data on area salamander listing to be sent to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Photo courtesy Williamson County

SWCA Environmental Consultants will submit its report and scientific findings from studies done on the Georgetown, Jollyville Plateau and Salado salamanders to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by Oct. 22.

During its Oct. 16 meeting, the Williamson County Commissioners Court authorized the Williamson County Conservation Foundation to instruct SWCA to submit its findings. Lisa Birkman, county commissioner and WCCF president, said the current data from the City of Austin that USFWS is using as a base for its proposal to list the three salamanders as endangered is inconsistent.

In addition to gaps in the data, Birkman contended the city started the studies in a time of increased rainfall and carried them throughout drier times. While the city's data seems to point to the salamander population dwindling throughout the study, Birkman said the real reason was because of rainfall totals.

"We've concluded that rainfall was the biggest factor, and I feel like our science is good," she said.

Valerie Covey, county commissioner and WCCF member, added the SWCA studies would show USFWS that county development was not hurting salamander populations.

"The premise is, growth equals dead salamanders, and that's not what the science is proving," Covey said. "We've had 69 percent growth in the past decade, and we've had salamanders living around that growth."

Public comment on the proposed listing of the three salamanders as well as the Austin Blind Salamander, which is not found in Williamson County, as endangered closes on Oct. 22.