In the wake of the devastating Bastrop Fire, which is now 30-percent contained, has burned more than 38,000 acres, and up to 1,000 structures, including nearly 600 homes, there is another, smaller victim. The Houston Toad is a small, endangered amphibian that makes its home primarily in the area of the fire.
Most of the land-dwelling, Houston Toads make their home in the Lost Pines region of Texas, the same area that has been devastated by drought and wildfires this summer. The 2 to 3-inch toad was already listed as “endangered” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services before the fires destroyed most of their existing habitat.
The toad existed in many surrounding counties of the Houston area, but human infringement on their habitat due to residential and industrial growth has pushed the toad’s habitat to the 124,000-acre Lost Pines region, with most of the toads living in the Bastrop State Park, according to Linda Campbell with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The latest Texas wildfire, the Bastrop Fire, destroyed much of the existing habitat there, including Bastrop State Park where 95-percent of the 5,926-acre state park has been destroyed.
The Houston Toad’s survival was already threatened by habitat loss before the wildfires destroyed most of their existing habitat. State authorities report that up to 50-percent of the toad’s remaining habitat has been destroyed by the 24-mile-long, 20-mile-wide fire, which is still moving east, continuing to destroy the toad’s home.
Mike Cox, a TPWD spokesman stated, “It looks like they have lost most of their habitat. Biologists will be doing an assessment” of the toad’s future.
What You Can Do
Rebuilding a habitat and a state park after such a devastating fire will take many years. According to Campbell, the simple act of protecting existing pond habits in the area and landscaping with native plants in the Houstonarea will help.
Resources
Texas Parks and Wildlife: HoustonToad
Endangered and Threatened Animals of Texas: Their Life History and Management
Bastrop State Park Official Site
Friends of the Lost Pines State Parks
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