Endangered listing for Nevada toad in geothermal power fight
A tiny Nevada toad at the center of a legal battle over a geothermal project has officially been declared an endangered species after U.S. wildlife officials temporarily listed it on a rarely-used emergency basis last spring
By SCOTT SONNER
Published - Dec 02, 2022, 04:35 PM ET
Last Updated - Jun 23, 2023, 08:41 AM EDT
RENO, Nev. (AP) — A tiny Nevada toad at the center of a legal battle over a geothermal power project has officially been declared an endangered species after U.S. wildlife officials temporarily listed it on a rarely-used emergency basis last spring.
“This ruling makes final the listing of the Dixie Valley toad,” the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a formal rule published Friday in the Federal Register.
The spectacled, quarter-sized amphibian “is currently at risk of extinction throughout its range primarily due to the approval and commencement of geothermal development,” the service said.
Other threats to the toad include groundwater pumping, agriculture, climate change, disease and predation from bullfrogs.
