Endangered listing for Nevada toad in geothermal power fight


              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad sits atop grass in Dixie Valley, Nev., on April 6, 2009. The 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 in the spring of 2022. 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. (Matt Maples/Nevada Department of Wildlife via AP, File)
            
              FILE - A Dixie Valley toad is seen around the hot spring-fed wetland in the Dixie Valley in Fallon, Nev., Wednesday, May 4, 2022. The 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 in the spring of 2022. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via AP, File)
            
              A Dixie Valley toad is seen around the hot spring-fed wetland in the Dixie Valley in Fallon, Nev., Wednesday, May 4, 2022. In a highly unusual move in a legal battle over a Nevada geothermal power plant and an endangered toad, the project’s developer is now asking a judge to allow it to scale back by 80% the original plan U.S. land managers approved last November. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via AP)
Endangered listing for Nevada toad in geothermal power fight