Nevertheless, the candidates list has many conservationists up in arms. They say the designation will only insulate the species it includes from protection. Species on the candidates list are allowed to languish for decades without protection. The Chiracahau leopard frog is a candidate species that sparked a lawsuit for further protection from conservationists. Without petitions, the agency is not required to follow legislatively mandated listing timelines.
Activists charge that the policy is illegal.
This is an anti-democratic stance. You can't name a species that has been listed without a court order over the last 10 years, unless it was an obscure endemic species with no political impact. Among those candidate species that have resulted in lawsuits are the Chirachau leopard frog and the Gila Chub fish, both residents of the Gila Basin in New Mexico. Read about the Endangered Species Act. Also see the Endangered Species Act Ammendments site .