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| Dixie Valley toad (Courtesy California Herps) |
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said last Tuesday that conservationists presented substantial scientific information suggesting the Dixie Valley toad could be at risk of extinction. Its 12-month review will include examining the extent to which any conservation efforts have reduced the threats.
The 2-inch-long (5-centimeters) toad with flecks of gold on its olive-colored body was discovered in 2007 in thick underbrush of a spring-fed marsh in the Dixie Valley, where an ancient lake once covered 190,000 square miles (492,100 sq. kilometers).
It's only found in an area covering less than 3 square miles (7 square kilometers) in the marshy remnant of the lakebed east of Reno, Nevada.
U.S. land managers are considering Ormat Technologies' plans for a geothermal plant there next to the U.S. Naval Air Station Fallon.
A federal listing could trigger land-use restrictions, but it's not clear how it might directly impact plans for the geothermal plant in a state with a mandate to procure 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.
Officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said Tuesday the wildlife service's determination wouldn't immediately affect their review of the geothermal project
Both the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Ormat Technologies will be exhibiting at the GRC Annual Meeting & Expo from October 14-17 at the Peppermill Resort Spa & Casino, Reno, Nevada, USA.
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From the Global Geothermal News archives:
- Thursday, June 8, 2017 - USA, Nevada: Environmental Assessment for Dixie Meadows Geothermal Project - Public Comment Period Extended
- Monday, January 23, 2012 - USA, Nevada: BLM Signs Decision Record for Dixie Geothermal Project
