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On a sprinkling morning in April, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists helped carry 170,000 eggs to the edge of a small pond.
The eggs belong to the Houston toad, and the pond is one of three sites where the Service and other conservation partners are working to save the species by reintroducing three million eggs in 2026.
The Houston toad, one of the first amphibians federally listed as endangered, is found only in Bastrop County, Texas. Luckily for this small, brown amphibian, the Service is working with local landowners; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; Houston, Fort Worth, and Dallas Zoos; the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy; and others to help secure its future.
Houston Toad, We’ve Had a Problem
After a Houston toad tadpole metamorphizes into a mature toad, it ventures up to three miles to burrow in deep, sandy, loblolly pine forest soil. Every year, it returns to the ponds to reproduce. Habitat loss disrupted this lifecycle, leading to its endangered listing. To make up for this, conservationists have been working with captive breeding populations to produce eggs for reintroduction. With an abundance of eggs in hand, a new problem emerged.
Houston toad dispersal into forests and between ponds requires a clear understory. Dense bush species like yaupon holly and eastern red cedar, and the spread of non-native, mat-forming grasses have divided large, continuous habitats into smaller, isolated fragments. These barriers can prohibit Houston toad dispersal, thereby reducing breeding opportunities with other populations and limiting genetic exchange.
“Reintroducing eggs to suitable habitat that is in close proximity to other populations is very challenging,” said Hannah Gilbreath, a Service biologist with the Austin Ecological Services Field Office. “If we can get more eggs out on the landscape and create connectivity between populations, that would improve the species health and viability into the future.”
Have Habitat, Will Travel
Because the majority of known and potential toad habitat within Bastrop County exists on private property, partnership with landowners is essential. Landowners within the toad’s range are helping contribute to habitat connectivity, and the Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program sits at the heart of this effort.
The PFW Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land. Typical Houston toad habitat restoration includes mechanical mulching of thickets to open the understory, followed by targeted herbicide treatment to control resprouting. These projects allow native bunchgrasses and forbs to return, creating an open understory that the toads can safely navigate.
“We are deeply grateful to the dedicated private landowners and conservation partners who make Houston toad recovery possible,” said PFW Program Texas State Coordinator Cyndee Watson “Their commitment is helping this rare species reclaim its place on the landscape and ensuring it can be appreciated by future generations.”
Private landowners can also support recovery by enrolling into a cooperative agreement with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department under their Programmatic Houston Toad Safe Harbor Agreement (SHA) with the Service. Safe Harbor Agreements (now called Conservation Benefit Agreements) help recover threatened and endangered species and protect private property rights. The Houston Toad SHA is a voluntary cooperative agreement that helps landowners meet their own land management goals while participating in conservation efforts through maintenance, restoration, or enhancement of habitats for the benefit of the toads and other species. This program is actively enrolling new cooperators and has enrolled 2,600 acres to date.
Failure is Not an Option
For two decades, Houston toad partnership efforts have produced over a million eggs a year for reintroduction to conserve this species and connect populations. In 2026 alone, three million eggs were reintroduced, including to a new site that increases the toad's presence in key areas for recovery.
One of the objectives outlined in the Houston Toad Recovery Plan is to conserve enough suitable habitat for the Houston Toad to self-sustain its population. This can only happen when there is habitat connectivity between population centers.
“Strengthening local relationships and restoring habitat is where we're focusing our efforts,” said Gilbreath. “More egg reintroductions and habitat restoration work are how we’re going to help this species recover.”
Recently, a single male Houston toad was detected on private property where the PFW Program provided technical and financial assistance to restore habitat, showing how a small step in recovery efforts can transform into a giant leap for the Houston toad.
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