Lawsuit challenges decision denying Endangered Species Act protections for Illinois chorus frog

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

CHICAGO, Ill., (KBSI) — The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over its decision not to protect the Illinois chorus frog under the Endangered Species Act.

The conservation group argues the species has lost most of its native sand prairie habitat across the Midwest due to agriculture and development and now survives only in scattered populations in Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois.

“Science shows that these chubby, burrowing frogs are losing habitat fast and that they warrant protection,” said Lindsay Reeves, a senior attorney with the center. “The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to go back and do its homework about the threats these frogs face before their chorus fades forever.”

Illinois chorus frogs rely on sandy soils for burrowing and temporary wetlands for breeding. The lawsuit claims the federal agency failed to account for widespread wetland loss and incorrectly assumed cropland could serve as suitable habitat despite farming practices that eliminate key conditions.

The Center for Biological Diversity first petitioned for federal protection in 2012. The Fish and Wildlife Service initially determined in 2015 that protections might be warranted but reversed its position in a final decision issued in 2023.

The lawsuit also challenges the agency’s decision not to protect any distinct populations of the frog, including those in Arkansas, where scientists warn the species faces an imminent risk of extinction.

The Center for Biological Diversity is a national nonprofit organization focused on protecting endangered species and habitats.