On a sweltering October day, the delicate, webbed footprint of a raccoon marked the muddy shoreline of the Aurora Reservoir, a killdeer’s cry pierced the air, and a coyote trotted through the adjacent grasslands, yet the elusive creature wildlife biologist Wendy Hanophy sought remained hidden. The northern leopard frog, a species struggling to maintain its presence in the region, was likely sheltering in the surrounding wetlands, its moist skin vulnerable to the midday heat. This very elusiveness underscores the profound stakes involved; scientists widely recognize the northern leopard frog as a crucial indicator species, particularly susceptible to the disruptions wrought by industrial development.

Hanophy, alongside hundreds of Aurora residents, is pinning their hopes on this vulnerable amphibian to influence state regulators. Their collective plea is for the denial of a permit requested by Crestone Peak Resources Operating LLC, which seeks to establish one of Colorado’s largest oil and gas production facilities on a former bombing range. The proposed site lies less than a mile from the Aurora Reservoir and the densely populated Denver suburban communities that rely on its water. "Frogs will disperse up to three miles as soon as they’ve bred and hatched," Hanophy explained, the dry grass crunching beneath her hiking boots. "They have to eat, and they don’t stay in the reservoir for that. They are foraging all up and around these areas."

Indeed, the critical habitat needs of the northern leopard frog have become a central point of contention. Several weeks before Hanophy’s unsuccessful search, herpetologists engaged by Save the Aurora Reservoir (STAR), a local residents’ group, discovered three northern leopard frogs in an area uphill from the proposed 35-acre drilling site. This discovery occurred subsequent to state officials officially designating "Oil & Gas Exploration & Extraction" as a significant threat to the species within Colorado’s 2025 Wildlife Action Plan. The plan categorized the amphibian as requiring "conservation interventions most urgently," signaling a growing concern for its declining numbers.

The diminishing populations of northern leopard frogs have also drawn the attention of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is now participating in an ongoing case study focused on restoring habitat for the amphibian in an area northwest of Denver. Preliminary findings from this study highlight the four-inch-long frog as "identified as a species of greatest conservation need in many Western states" and "considered sensitive, threatened, or endangered."

The proposed 32-well State Sunlight/Long pad is not an isolated industrial development but rather one of several oil and gas sites slated for what is now known as the Lowry Ranch. This expansive property, situated approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Denver, is characterized by its picturesque landscapes now increasingly encircled by rapidly growing suburban communities. The Colorado State Land Board, which oversees the 26,000-acre ranch, has itself acknowledged the critical need for undisturbed habitat, echoing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s conclusions in its "2050 Stewardship Framework." This framework identified the ranch’s Piedmont grasslands as supporting "several species of conservation concern that require habitat components that are unique and rare." Despite these findings, the land board has entered into a lease agreement with Civitas Resources, Crestone’s parent company, permitting oil and gas extraction on the property, with state regulators holding the authority to approve the specific locations of the wells.

The potential for an imperiled species to halt or significantly alter industrial projects is not unprecedented. Globally, and within the United States, numerous instances demonstrate how the presence of vulnerable wildlife can reshape development plans. For example, the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver spider once brought highway construction to a standstill in San Antonio, Texas. In West Virginia, the endangered Indiana bat caused delays in the development of a multimillion-dollar wind farm. Similarly, the snuffbox mussel, an endangered freshwater mussel, halted bridge construction over the Grand River in Ohio. In California, the delta smelt played a role in preventing efforts by the Trump administration to implement significant changes to the state’s water infrastructure.

In the immediate vicinity of the proposed Sunlight/Long pad, northern leopard frogs have been observed consistently. Surveys conducted by consultants hired by Crestone itself have identified the amphibians near the site on multiple occasions over the past decade. According to a summary filed by the energy company with state regulators prior to a crucial November 19th hearing, these vertebrates were found in creek beds adjacent to the proposed project area during surveys conducted between 2012 and 2015, and again in 2018. Subsequent surveys in 2024 and the current year led Crestone’s consultants to conclude that the amphibians may utilize these nearby creek beds for overwintering.

Researchers contracted by STAR, a formidable group comprising 2,400 members, reported observing three northern leopard frogs in the area this past fall. Their September 22nd report emphasized that these repeated sightings "seem to indicate a stable population at this site." The researchers from Adaptation LLC, the firm hired by STAR, further noted in their report that "This site is likely part of a larger, and not fully researched, metapopulation for northern leopard frogs which may connect this population to other breeding populations" in the vicinity, suggesting the ecological significance of this specific location.

In an effort to protect this potentially vital frog population, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) officials formally suggested an alternative location for the massive oil and gas pad in a September 30th letter to the state’s Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC). CPW argued that an alternative site would better safeguard the frog by preserving more of its habitat. However, CPW biologist Brandon Marette acknowledged in his correspondence to ECMC Director Julie Murphy that such an alternative might not be feasible due to Arapahoe County regulations, which mandate that oil and gas operations be situated at least 3,000 feet from reservoirs.

Marette also highlighted the precarious status of western U.S. populations of northern leopard frogs, stating in his letter that they are "declining" and that in the region of the proposed pad, these groups are "fragmented and limited and existing threats are likely to significantly increase in scope and/or severity within ten years." Consequently, he recommended the implementation of specific mitigation measures designed to divert frogs away from an access road that is anticipated to accommodate scores of truck trips daily to and from the proposed pad. This road is slated to be constructed just 500 feet from the reservoir, raising serious concerns about "fatalities resulting from truck and vehicle traffic" for the amphibians.

To minimize these risks, Marette requested that state regulators require Crestone to schedule construction of the pad and road improvements between December 1st and February 28th, coinciding with the frogs’ hibernation period. CPW also requested that the company conduct regular "windshield surveys" to "document any (frog) mortalities on the road" at least once a week from March through November, the active period for the amphibians. Crestone’s consultants would then be obligated to report any deceased frogs to CPW.

The northern leopard frog’s significant role in the ongoing deliberations is underscored by a recommendation from ECMC Director Julie Murphy to the five-member commission regarding the approval of the oil and gas project. The amphibian is referenced an extraordinary 90 times within her comprehensive 265-page report. Murphy noted that Crestone has agreed to time construction to align with the frog’s hibernation cycle, conduct pre-disturbance surveys for frogs, and install silt fences designed to guide amphibians towards culverts that will run beneath the proposed road.

Crestone has publicly acknowledged concerns regarding the frog population in a prehearing statement submitted to state regulators. The company specifically referenced the Adaptation LLC report, noting that wildlife officials have incorporated "aspects" of its findings into the mitigation measures that Crestone has agreed to implement. Jamie Jost, an attorney representing Crestone before the commission, stated in the prehearing document, "The [Parks and Wildlife] consultation letter speaks for itself on the issue of Crestone’s extensive protection of wildlife resources and should be relied upon by the commission."

However, habitat disturbance is already a reality on other sections of the Lowry Ranch. Earlier this year, state energy regulators approved several multiwell pads as part of a broader 50-square-mile comprehensive area plan for drilling. This extensive development, slated for construction through 2030, could ultimately include up to 166 wells across eight distinct locations.

Residents in neighborhoods bordering the ranch’s southern edge organized STAR in 2022 to voice their opposition to drilling near their communities when Crestone first submitted its plan. The group’s concerns about potential pollution, induced seismicity, noise, and traffic have brought national attention to a significant 2019 policy shift in Colorado. This shift mandates that the state’s energy agency prioritize public health, safety, and environmental protection over the profits of fossil fuel companies. To implement this directive, state officials have promulgated 426 pages of detailed regulations through 17 separate rulemaking periods.

STAR’s persistent activism has demonstrably influenced how Colorado’s Energy and Carbon Management Commission considers community concerns. The group’s members submitted thousands of comments opposing the Sunlight/Long pad proposal, prompting the commission to hold a rare public hearing directly within the affected community in September. STAR, represented by legal counsel, also became the first residents’ organization to formally appear before the commission at a hearing in 2024, and is scheduled to present further testimony on November 19th. The nonprofit organization continues to test the boundaries of the state’s new oil and gas regulations, challenging in its prehearing statements how Crestone has complied with requirements for developing comprehensive wildlife protection plans for new and amended operational sites.

"Wildlife resources are to be protected to the same extent as people and the environment," wrote STAR’s attorney, Mike Foote, in a prehearing statement. "Neither Crestone’s wildlife mitigation plan, nor (Parks and Wildlife’s) consultation report gave any serious consideration to placing Sunlight Long in a location that could avoid adverse impacts to the (frogs) in the first place."

Even with the mitigation measures agreed upon by Crestone, state wildlife officials, and oil and gas regulators in advance of the hearing, Hanophy, the retired biologist, remains deeply concerned. She fears that potential pollution, noise, and vibrations—factors she believes could disrupt breeding—coupled with land disturbance and increased traffic, will ultimately prove fatal for the amphibians. "If they can’t get from point A to point B, that’s one population that could crash," she stated, standing on a bike path that encircles the Aurora Reservoir. "Extinction usually isn’t immediate—it happens slowly, and then quickly, and you get to a point where a population can’t take care of itself."