Gold rush in Nye County puts rare Nevada wildlife in the crosshairs, lawsuit says

An environmental group has sued the federal government, alleging officials unlawfully delayed granting protection to two imperiled species that could be threatened by a proposed gold mine and other mines planned along the Amargosa River.

The Amargosa toad and a tiny fish known as the Oasis Valley speckled dace both live only in spring-fed wetlands near Beatty, about 115 miles northwest of Las Vegas. That slice of Nye County is primed for gold mine development, causing a clash between economic aspirations and concern for species and the water that keeps them alive.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged last year that protections under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted. A lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity alleges the agency has missed its 12-month deadline to make a final decision.

“Anthropogenic stressors, including loss of habitat from groundwater pumping for nearby gold mines, are pushing these animals toward extinction,” the complaint says.

Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement that time is of the essence to finalize protections before the species are gone.

“The Amargosa toad and Oasis Valley speckled dace are at the center of a bullseye surrounded by gold mining activity that threatens to push them over the edge to extinction,” Donnelly said. “Endangered Species Act protections are urgently needed for these species before AngloGold’s mines suck dry the water they need for survival.”

The Interior Department, the parent agency of the Fish and Wildlife Service, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.

Mines could remake small town

AngloGold Ashanti, a multinational mining company originally from South Africa, is close to obtaining final approval from the Bureau of Land Management for its North Bullfrog Mine. Executives have already modified their operation plan to reduce water consumption by two-thirds in response to community concerns.

“We are committed to continuous improvement and collaboration with all stakeholders, regulators, and neighboring communities as we work to develop this significant, strategic resource bringing jobs, tax revenue and community benefit,” company spokesman Rick Curtsinger said in a statement.

In an interview earlier this year, an executive maintained that Amargosa toad populations would remain intact. Curtsinger added that the Fish and Wildlife Service’s determination last year that a listing could be warranted did not consider the reduced water footprint of the 6,300-acre North Bullfrog Mine.

The company is eyeing another deposit through its Arthur exploration project, which the Center for Biological Diversity wrote could contain 10 times the gold-bearing deposits of the North Bullfrog Mine.

In total, AngloGold Ashanti says it has identified at least 6.1 million ounces of gold, more than the United States produces in any single year. It could mean big changes are in Beatty’s future.

A University of Nevada, Reno, analysis found the North Bullfrog Mine would create hundreds of jobs at its peak while contributing $1.4 million in county taxes and $5.6 million in state taxes annually.

According to the lawsuit, companies have proposed six other gold mines in the immediate area.

The Amargosa toad had been under consideration for federal protections before, but the small town had embraced a conservation ethic that saw numbers rise. For years, the Nature Conservancy has bought up several ranches and turned them into nature preserves in order to protect water rights along the river.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.