SACRAMENTO, Calif.— The California Fish and Game Commission voted today to designate the western spadefoot as a candidate species under the state Endangered Species Act. The designation, which comes after a Center for Biological Diversity petition, moves the two populations of the species a step closer to receiving permanent protections.

“This is a ray of hope for the western spadefoot, a species that has lost so much habitat that its future is uncertain,” said Brendan Cummings, conservation director at the Center. “I’m relieved that these charming frogs will receive protections while wildlife officials study their plight. The state endangered species law was designed especially for vulnerable animals like spadefoots. They deserve a fair chance to survive and thrive.”

The commission also voted to adopt a special regulation to govern the protection and creation of spadefoot breeding ponds when solar projects are constructed on fallowed farmlands within the range of the species.

Today’s vote triggers a year-long review by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to determine if the northern and southern spadefoot populations should be permanently protected under the Act. Protections under the law apply to the species during this review period.

Western spadefoots are small and cryptic, spending much of their lives underground. They live in grasslands and shrublands and rely on vernal pools to breed. Up to 95% of the state’s vernal pools have been lost, and pressure to develop remaining vernal pools is high. Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are the biggest threats to the spadefoot, but they also face daunting challenges with climate change and extreme drought.

In 2023 the western spadefoot was proposed for federal protections as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act but a final decision has not been made. The Trump administration's ongoing efforts to weaken environmental protections, including the Act, make it unlikely that the western spadefoot will receive federal protections in the foreseeable future. The second Trump administration has not listed any species under the Endangered Species Act since taking office.

Recent changes to weaken the Clean Water Act also make semi-aquatic species like western spadefoot particularly vulnerable.

In January California’s fish and wildlife department concluded that the Center’s petition contained sufficient evidence to potentially warrant listing western spadefoot under the state Endangered Species Act.