Nevada

Nevada toad could go extinct due to gold mining, petition says

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2024

Nevada toad could go extinct due to gold mining, petition says

Decades ago, a rural Nye County town rallied behind an unlikely environmental cause — the Amargosa toad.

The small, slimy toad became the unofficial mascot of Beatty when environmentalists sounded alarm bells over the species’ dwindling numbers. Ranchers, scientists and concerned residents formed a working group to find local solutions to preserve the groundwater and freshwater springs on which the toad relies.

But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wasn’t on board when it came to federal protections. Two petitions — one in 1994 and another in 2008 — to list the toad under the Endangered Species Act failed, though local efforts to monitor the toad’s numbers and preserve habitat have persisted.

It’s also considered “critically endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

After Wednesday, the federal agency will get a chance to reconsider: The Center for Biological Diversity has filed an emergency petition to list the Amargosa toad as an endangered species. If that happens, the agency would use federal funds and resources to restore the amphibian’s population and preserve its habitat.

The petition claims an estimated 2,000 Amargosa toads are left in the wild.

“Despite [community-led] efforts, the Amargosa toad’s population continues to remain in a highly precarious state, and today faces a new existential threat, which did not exist when previous petitions were under evaluation,” the petition asserts.

The “existential threat” at the heart of the latest argument for federal protections? Seven proposed gold mines that an independent hydrologist has said would lower groundwater levels to an unsustainable level.

One of them is the North Bullfrog Mine, a massive project currently under federal environmental review that would disturb more than 3,000 acres of land in the area.

“Oasis Valley is set to become the epicenter of a vast new gold-mining district, putting huge stress on the delicate aquifer that sustains the Amargosa River and threatening rare species like Amargosa toads who don’t live anywhere else in the world,” Krista Kemppinen, a senior scientist at the center, said in a statement. “The Fish and Wildlife Service really has to act now.”

Why protect a toad?

Gold mining has long been a part of Nevada’s history. Along the delicate Amargosa River in towns like Beatty, biodiversity of species found nowhere else in the world has been, too.

Jaina Moan, of Nevada’s chapter of the global nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, said her organization has worked with Beatty residents since the 1990s to keep tabs on the population. The organization became the largest private landowner in the area after the purchase of two ranches to preserve water resources and species in Oasis Valley.

New mines, Moan said, could wreck decades of conservation work that represents millions of dollars.

“We’re really fearful that they could pose a threat to the toad, other at-risk species and all of this conservation work that’s taken a lot of work to do,” Moan said.

Whether the Fish and Wildlife Service will see a scientific argument for awarding protections remains to be seen.

Mining in general has the potential to affect not only species like the toad but homeowners who rely on groundwater for domestic use, said Mason Voehl, executive director of the Amargosa Conservancy, a nonprofit that closely tracks threats to the Amargosa River.

An endangered species listing would be like a reward for many years of Beatty residents’ hard work, he said.

“The community deserves a ton of praise,” Voehl said. “It’s, in some ways, a celebration of what the community has accomplished for what has always been an imperiled species.”

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

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Nevada

Nevada Family Law Group’s Caston addresses separation risks after deadly Smith’s dispute

Published

12 hours ago

May 16, 2026

Press Room

Nevada Family Law Group’s Caston addresses separation risks after deadly Smith’s dispute

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A domestic dispute led to a deadly shooting at a Smith’s in the valley this past Tuesday, and the man accused of the killings is now facing multiple felony charges.

Alejandro Estrada, who is charged with the two deaths at the store, is being held without bail. He faces 11 felony charges, including two counts of murder.

Court records show one of the victims, Amanda Frias Rosas, was involved in an ongoing child support case with Estrada.

Marilyn Caston, a junior partner at Nevada Family Law Group, discussed challenges that can arise for separated couples.

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Nevada

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

Published

24 hours ago

May 15, 2026

Press Room

Vegas casino pulls plug on prediction market conference amid Nevada crackdown

A Las Vegas casino abruptly pulled the plug on a prediction market conference over fears the event could draw scrutiny from Nevada gambling regulators, according to a report.

Predict 2026 had been slated for the Aria on the Strip before the MGM-operated resort canceled the booking just days after signing the agreement.

‘The [Aria] is issuing this notice in light of Nevada’s current regulatory and enforcement position regarding prediction markets,’ a lawyer for the resort wrote in a termination letter cited by Barron’s.

The dispute highlights escalating tensions between state gambling regulators and prediction market firms such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which let people bet on the outcomes of all kinds of events.

Nevada regulators have taken an especially aggressive stance toward the fast-growing sector, arguing that some sports-event contracts resemble unlicensed wagering that bypasses state gaming rules and taxes.

Last October, the Nevada Gaming Control Board warned casino license holders that maintaining ties to prediction market operators could factor into whether they remain eligible for gaming licenses.

“If a Nevada licensee chooses to offer Sports and Other Event Contracts in Nevada or decides to partner with other entities offering Sports and Other Event Contracts in the state, the Board will consider these developments as it evaluates the suitability of the entity to maintain a Nevada gaming license,” regulators said in the guidance cited by Barron’s.

While Predict 2026 was not sponsored by any prediction market company, Aria’s legal notice indicated that regulators had become increasingly sensitive even to indirect promotion of the industry.

The Aria, which opened in 2009 and is operated by MGM Resorts after being sold to Blackstone in 2021, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The showdown highlights the widening divide between traditional casino operators and the new entrants into the prediction market space.

Legacy gaming giants such as MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have largely stayed away from prediction markets even as companies including DraftKings have launched competing platforms to challenge businesses like Kalshi.

Prediction market operators insist that their event contracts are federally regulated financial instruments overseen by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, allowing them to operate nationwide for users over 18.

Some state gaming regulators, however, have argued that sports-related contracts closely resemble sports betting and should fall under state gambling laws.

Nevada officials have already taken direct legal action against Kalshi.

The Nevada Gaming Commission sued the company over its sports event contracts, and the platform was briefly barred from operating in the state earlier this year, according to Barron’s.

The Post has sought comment from Polymarket, Aria and the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

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