Wyoming Toad Recovery Program

The US Fish and Wildlife Service, Wyoming Ecological Services Field Office, has regulatory authority for the recovery of the endangered Wyoming Toad (Bufo baxteri). The Wyoming Toad is endemic to the Laramie Basin of Wyoming. The acquisition of Mortensen Lake National Wildlife Refuge and the enrollment of private lands within the Laramie Basin under the Laramie Rivers Conservation District’s Wyoming Toad Safe Harbor program have recently provided the Wyoming Toad with multiple recovery sites within its historic range. One of the new needs, therefore, of the recovery program is the ability to breed sufficient numbers of healthy toads for release at release sites. The University of Wyoming Department of Zoology and Physiology Red Buttes Environmental Biology Laboratory, provides a world-renowned aquatic laboratory to help ensure the Wyoming toad recovery program meets this need. The result of such captive breeding is expected to benefit both the goals and purpose of the Wyoming Toad recovery program and the University, including, but not limited to: Wyoming Toad related research, teaching, and opportunities to assist on the ground recovery efforts.