Feds agree to deadline for endangered species listing of rare NV toad

Having failed to meet a deadline and getting sued for it, a federal agency Wednesday agreed to decide whether to list a rare Nevada toad as a threatened or endangered species within the next two years. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to a court-ordered deadline requiring the agency to reach a decision on Endangered Species Act protections for the Railroad Valley toad by May 31, 2028.

The Railroad Valley toad is one of the smallest western toad species and is confined to a single spring-fed wetland habitat across 445 acres of land in Nye County.

The Railroad Valley toad was considered for federal protections after the Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the federal government to list the species under the Endangered Species Act in 2022. 

In 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found there were credible threats to the rare toads’ existence that warranted further consideration for listing, including oil and gas extraction in Railroad Valley, and proposals for lithium extraction. 

After federal wildlife managers failed to make a final decision on the toads’ status as required by law, the conservation group sued the agency. The agreement announced Wednesday resolves that lawsuit and requires the federal government to make a final decision as to whether listing the Railroad Valley toad as threatened or endangered is warranted. 

“The Railroad Valley toad is a one-of-a-kind symbol of the Great Basin’s biodiversity, and the species is finally moving a step closer to the protections it so badly needs,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The extinction crisis is happening right here in Nevada, and species like this toad are a warning sign for wetland ecosystems across the state.”

The conservation groups warned that proposed resource exploration by mining, oil and gas companies in the area further threaten the rare toad and its habitat. 

Last summer, the Bureau of Land Management approved expanded drilling and development on about 40 acres of public land by minerals company 3 Proton Lithium in Nye County’s Railroad Valley. The project was fast-tracked in response to President Trump’s executive order, “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production.”

Lithium mining is a water intensive process, and the conservation group warns the project could impact the same groundwater that sustains the Railroad Valley toad’s wetland habitat. 

The area has also been targeted by oil and gas companies. In December,  BLM approved an oil drill permit ten miles southwest of the town of Currant in Railroad Valley, under Trump’s executive order “Unleashing American Energy” which encourages energy exploration and production on public lands. 

“Railroad Valley toads and their fragile wetland home are under siege as Trump unleashes profit-hungry industries on our public lands,” said Donnelly. “Endangered Species Act protection is the last, best hope for this special little toad and the wetlands it depends on.”