ALBANY, N.Y.— New York has added the Atlantic Coast leopard frog, eastern fence lizard and eastern tiger salamander to its protected threatened and endangered species lists. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, however, failed to protect several other species, including the eastern hellbender, American eel and American shad.

“I’m thrilled that New York is protecting these three precious animals and giving them a better chance at survival,” said Tara Zuardo, senior advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Unfortunately, the state failed to safeguard the hellbender, eel and shad, even though all scientific information shows they’re sliding toward extinction.”

The listings, announced in April, will protect the species by allowing the state to prevent activities that harm the three animals and their habitat. New York’s list had not been updated since 1999, leaving many species without these necessary protections.

In 2020, the Center began working with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to list these animals as threatened or endangered. These protections come as the Trump administration moves to weaken federal protections for endangered species, issuing a proposal this week to strip habitat protections from all federally recognized endangered species.