Date: 7/29/09
Contact: Doug Nielsen
Phone: 702-486-5127 x 3500

AMARGOSA TOADS HOLDING THEIR OWN

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 the town of 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,” said Alexander, “It is the count from our monitoring sites which shows us year-to-year trend in the population.”

For the crew of biologists, conservation aids and some intrepid volunteers, the survey work took place over the span of several nights, beginning at 8 p.m. and running to about 2 a.m. That’s when the toads are most active and more easily caught and counted. During the day they hide in burrows or under vegetation.

The toad crew surveyed one or two sites each night, examining areas where natural seeps occur. These areas do not have running water, but there is enough water coming out of the ground to collect and puddle up, sometimes even forming a little pond. The toads also can be found at the edges of permanent ponds and where there is running water. They also prefer gravelly areas, especially where cottonwoods are growing.

Amargosa toads require open water with a low level of salt, at least for the four weeks that it takes for the tadpoles to develop. They actually don’t drink water, but absorb it through “seat patches” on their bodies. Their food source is mostly insects and other invertebrates.

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.