Feds Drop Boreal Toad From Protected List DENVER A toad that
environmentalists say is being killed off by an invasive fungus
that may have originated in Africa is no longer a candidate for
protection under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service announced. The agency, which administers the
act, said Wednesday it's dropping the boreal toad from the list
because it is a subspecies of a toad whose habitat ranges from
Alaska to New Mexico. Erin Robertson of the Center for Native
Ecosystems said the group will file a lawsuit challenging the
decision. Developers have had to work around the toad's habitat
since it was listed as a potential candidate for protection in
1995. Several state road projects have added costly toad
underpasses, and a ski slope developer agreed to build a new
toad habitat in Breckenridge, deed wetlands to the town and fund
toad studies in order to expand a ski area. Some biologists say
getting the toad delisted may speed the pace of research on the
amphibian, which coul