OUTDOOR BRIEF
WILDLIFE SURVEY
Amargosa toad population on the rise
Nevada's Amargosa toads are holding their own. That's the word from Nevada Department of Wildlife fisheries biologists following the agency's annual toad surveys completed earlier this month. During their surveys, biologists found the toad's population to be up and the overall population of this unique animal to be healthy.
"This year's survey numbers were up quite a bit from last year, but last year's numbers might have been affected by colder, windier weather that occurred during the surveys. Nevertheless, the Amargosa toads are holding their own," said LoriKim Alexander, NDOW conservation aid.
NDOW conducted two surveys in the Oasis Valley near Beatty, one in May and the other in June because the toads are more likely to be out when it is warm and still. The unique oasis habitat along a 10-mile stretch of the Amargosa River is the only place where the state-protected Amargosa toad is found. Biologists conduct surveys each year to determine the number of individual animals and to look for any trends in movement of the toad population, essentially giving a "voice" to this voiceless amphibian.
Once thought to number only a few individuals, the Amargosa toad has been the subject of a petition for listing under the Federal Endangered Species Act. The primary threat to the toad's population is habitat encroachment. In 2008 approximately 460 individuals were counted. During the 2009 counts, that number was well over 700, though Alexander is quick to point out that figure is just a sample of the total toad population.
"This is not the total number of toads in the valley," Alexander said. "It is the count from our monitoring sites which shows us year-to-year trend in the population."
