Group Sues Feds After Missed Deadline to Protect Nevada Toad, Fish

The Center for Biological Diversity says federal regulators missed a statutory deadline to decide whether two rare species that live in Oasis Valley springs near Beatty need protection under the Endangered Species Act. The group filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after the agency failed to issue a timely 12-month finding on petitions to list the Amargosa toad and the Oasis Valley speckled dace.

The toad and the speckled dace occupy spring-fed habitats along the Amargosa River in Nye County. The Amargosa toad is confined to a 14-mile stretch of the river and is estimated to number about 2,000 individuals. The Center contends that groundwater pumping tied to as many as seven proposed gold mining projects around Beatty threatens those springs, and that each gold mine could use billions of gallons of water. Nevada Current reporting and the Center say six of the seven proposed operations are being advanced by AngloGold Ashanti, which the Center describes as one of the world’s largest gold mining companies and Nevada Current calls a British multinational miner.

Legal history in the valley dates back decades. Jasper Carlton petitioned for federal protections for the Amargosa toad in 1994, but protections were denied then for lack of information. The Center later filed a petition in 2008 that was denied on the basis of a collaborative conservation agreement among federal, state and local agencies and private landowners. In 2024 the Center filed fresh petitions; the Fish and Wildlife Service found in early 2025 that protections for the two species may be warranted, but it did not meet the one-year deadline to reach a formal 12-month finding, prompting the Center’s action.

Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director for the Center for Biological Diversity, framed the dispute around water and the limits of voluntary conservation. He said, "Collaborative conservation won’t stop these gold mines from drying up a river." He added, "Water is more precious than gold, life is worth more than money and extinction is forever. We won’t rest until the Amargosa toad and the Oasis Valley speckled dace are safe." Donnelly also described the animals as "small but powerful symbols of the remarkable biodiversity that makes Nevada so special. At this point the Endangered Species Act is their last line of defense." The Center listed Donnelly as a contact and provided a phone number, (702) 483-0449.

For Nye County residents, the case ties federal wildlife law to local water supplies and the future of development around Beatty. The 60-day notice is a procedural step required under the Endangered Species Act; it signals potential litigation if the Fish and Wildlife Service does not act to resolve the missed deadline. What happens next could affect permitting timelines for the proposed mines, water availability for springs and local users, and whether federal protections add regulatory limits aimed at preserving Oasis Valley’s spring-fed habitats.