For private and non-federal landowners, however, consultations are required only in cases where activities that may affect the arroyo toad or its critical habitat require federal funding, licensing or permitting. At the time the Service listed the arroyo toad in 1994, we concluded that designation of critical habitat was not prudent because such designation would not benefit the species, and could make it more vulnerable to increased acts of habitat vandalism, destruction, or unauthorized collection. In a lawsuit filed against the Service by the Center for Biological Diversity, the plaintiffs contended the Service was in violation of section 4 of the Act, which requires a determination of critical habitat at the time a species is listed. Today's announcement is the result of a settlement agreement. Its call is a soft, high, whistled trill that is commonly mistaken for the call of an insect.
Arroyo toads prefer shallow pools and open, sandy stream terraces.
They use adjacent upland habitat for feeding and shelter in the nonbreeding seasons. The arroyo toad historically occurred in isolated coastal and desert stream areas west of the Mojave Desert, from Monterey County south to the northwestern portion of Baja California, Mexico. About 75 percent of the toad's historical habitat has been eliminated as a result of urban development, dam construction, water diversions, agriculture, and recreational activities. The arroyo toad currently occurs in streams in Monterey, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego counties. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.