San Francisco Fined $386K for Killing Garter Snakes

The City of San Francisco has been ordered to pay $386,000 in attorney’s fees for killing and exposing to incidental take the San Francisco Garter Snake and California Red-legged Frog, two endangered species found on its Sharp Park Golf Course in nearby Pacifica. We’ve heard a lot about Sharp Park over the years; the same judge previously ruled that golfers and snakes can coexist in the park; if I understand things correctly, yesterday’s fine is apparently the outcome of ongoing construction and maintenance operations on the golf course.