Wyoming Toad Conservation: Partnerships Restore Critical Habitat

May 15, 2026

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Once common in the wetlands and rivers of southeastern Wyoming, the Wyoming toad is now one of the most endangered amphibians in North America. Endemic to the Laramie Basin in Albany County, the species is making a cautious comeback thanks to a strong network of public and private partners and leadership from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program.

PFW Program staff in Wyoming played a key role in advancing the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area (WTCA), a multi-year, grassroots conservation effort that culminated in 2023 with the establishment of the 569^th unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System. This milestone reflects years of collaboration and on-the-ground expertise, particularly from local PFW Program biologist Mindy Meade. Her sustained commitment exemplifies the PFW Program’s nationally recognized approach—working alongside landowners to achieve lasting conservation outcomes in working landscapes.

The Wyoming Toad Conservation Area protects more than 3,000 acres of critical wetland habitat essential for the species’ breeding and recovery. A defining feature of the area is its senior water rights tied to the Laramie River and Sand Creek, the primary drainages that sustain these wetlands. In the arid, high-elevation Laramie Plains, reliable water access is fundamental to both wildlife conservation and agricultural viability.

Image Details

Collaboration between The Conservation Fund (TCF) and the PFW Program was crucial for securing the WTCA as our Nation’s 569th National Wildlife Refuge. Pictured are Dan Schlager (TCF) and Mindy Meade (PFW Program).

The Power of Collaboration and Water Management

Continued habitat improvements within the WTCA rely on coordinated, cross-jurisdictional water management. PFW Program staff in Wyoming are leading efforts to strengthen partnerships with neighboring landowners, resulting in improved water delivery through targeted, small-scale irrigation infrastructure enhancements. These actions support wetland function while aligning with local agricultural operations, demonstrating how collaborative water management can benefit both wildlife and working lands.

A small pond sits in the foreground, with tall grasses and wetland plants along the water’s edge. In the background, construction equipment is clearing and reshaping the adjacent channel as part of habitat restoration work. — Restoring historic Sand Creek flows to the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area involves cleaning ditches, replacing culverts, and installing water-measuring flumes across neighboring private lands. It is an undertaking that depends on strong partnerships and diplomacy, and ultimately delivers habitat benefits that extend well beyond the conservation area **conservation area**
A conservation area is a type of national wildlife refuge that consists primarily or entirely of conservation easements on private lands. These conservation easements support private landowner efforts to protect important habitat for fish and wildlife and major migration corridors while helping to keep agricultural lands in production.

Learn more about conservation area itself.

Side-by-side before-and-after photos of the restoration site. The left image shows stream water pooled against deteriorated infrastructure, blocking natural flow. The right image shows the completed restoration, with two new culverts installed that allow water to flow freely through the stream channel. — The PFW Program partnered with a neighboring landowner to replace problem culverts adjacent to the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area. Before restoration (left), deteriorated infrastructure blocked roughly 90% of Laramie River flows from reaching Wyoming Toad Conservation Area wetlands. The improved culvert system (right) now delivers water essential for these wetlands.

Person using a large motorized hand tool to install a culvert in the bare ground. There is some green vegetation in the background. — WyoTech, a technical trade school located in Laramie, Wyoming, donated staff, student labor, and heavy equipment to complete an emergency replacement of a critical water culvert that was limiting Sand Creek flows just outside the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area boundary. This temporary repair restored essential water delivery to the wetlands, and Ducks Unlimited, using North American Wetlands Conservation Act funding, will install a permanent long-term fix in fall 2026.

A close-up view of an Iowa darter in the palm of a hand — Engagement by PFW Program staff expanded understanding of native minnow assemblages in Sand Creek, including the Iowa darter, which is designated by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Acquisition of the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area secured territorial water rights that might otherwise have been lost, helping protect aquatic habitats vital to the Iowa darter and other SGCN fish.

Looking Ahead

Next steps include evaluating hydrologic improvements along the mainstem of the Laramie River. Priorities include addressing channel incision and reconnecting historic floodplain hydrology to more effectively use existing water rights for the benefit of wildlife and livestock grazing. Planned improvements will be fish-passable, respect neighboring landowners’ water rights, and reduce the risk of off-site contaminants entering this sensitive wetland complex.

Through continued partnership and shared stewardship, the Wyoming Toad Conservation Area is strengthening habitat not only for the Wyoming toad, but for a suite of aquatic and terrestrial species that depend on this Gem City wetland landscape.