Action timeline

June 4, 1998 – The Center submitted a scientific petition to list the Chiricahua leopard frog as a federally endangered species. The petition went unacknowledged.

August 25, 1999 – The Center filed a lawsuit to compel a response to the petition.

2001 – The Center filed a second lawsuit.

June 13, 2002 – The Center gained a threatened listing for the frog, but the species was still without critical habitat. In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service added a unique special rule to the frog’s listing, encouraging cattlemen to continue their regular management of livestock tanks harboring Chiricahua leopard frog populations.

2007 – With the leopard frog at risk of becoming an endangered species in the foreseeable future, the Center became part of the stakeholders’ group that developed the federal plan to recover the frog. We advocated for lessening cattle, preserving springs, and removing bull frogs on several grazing allotments.