Nevada’s Railroad Valley toad is now on track for a big Endangered Species Act decision.
Pressed by environmentalists concerned about the toad’s vulnerability to oil drilling, fracking and mining, the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed in a court settlement to a May 31, 2028, deadline for making a final listing decision.
“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,” Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
Donnelly added that “the extinction crisis is happening right here in Nevada, and species like this toad are a warning sign for wetland ecosystems across the state.”
