The delicate footprint of a raccoon pressed into the damp mud near the Aurora Reservoir, a testament to the wild inhabitants sharing this landscape. Overhead, a killdeer’s sharp cry echoed, while a lean coyote traversed the nearby grasslands, its bushy tail a blur against the dry vegetation. Yet, the creature wildlife biologist Wendy Hanophy sought on a sun-baked October day remained hidden. She was searching for the northern leopard frog, an amphibian whose survival is increasingly tied to the fate of these very wetlands surrounding the reservoir, an area now under consideration for one of Colorado’s most expansive oil and gas operations. Scientists recognize the northern leopard frog as a vital indicator species, its sensitivity to environmental changes making it a barometer for the health of its ecosystem. Its elusive nature, however, makes it challenging to track and monitor, amplifying concerns about its vulnerability to habitat disruption.

Hanophy, along with hundreds of residents in Aurora, a sprawling Denver suburb, are pinning their hopes on this imperiled amphibian to influence state regulators and prevent Crestone Peak Resources Operating LLC from establishing a significant oil and gas production site. The proposed 35-acre pad is slated for a former bombing range, located less than a mile from the Aurora Reservoir and the homes of thousands of residents. "Frogs will disperse up to three miles as soon as they’ve bred and hatched," Hanophy explained, the dry grass crunching under 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." Her concern highlights the interconnectedness of the ecosystem; the frogs’ foraging behavior extends far beyond the immediate confines of the reservoir, encompassing the very lands targeted for industrial development.

Indeed, weeks before Hanophy’s unsuccessful search, herpetologists commissioned by a local residents’ group, Save the Aurora Reservoir (STAR), discovered three northern leopard frogs in an area uphill from where Hanophy stood, perilously close to the proposed drilling site. This discovery came at a critical juncture, shortly after state officials had officially identified "Oil & Gas Exploration & Extraction" as a significant threat to the species in their 2025 wildlife action plan. The plan categorizes the amphibian as requiring "conservation interventions most urgently," underscoring the scientific consensus on its precarious status. The diminishing populations of northern leopard frogs have also prompted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to participate in an ongoing case study focused on restoring habitat for the species in an area northwest of Denver. Preliminary findings from this study identify the four-inch-long frog as a "species of greatest conservation need in many Western states" and classify it as "sensitive, threatened, or endangered."

The proposed 32-well State Sunlight/Long pad is just one component of a larger oil and gas development planned for what is now known as the Lowry Ranch. This expansive property, encompassing 26,000 acres, is situated approximately 25 miles southeast of downtown Denver, an area experiencing rapid suburban growth. The State Land Board, which oversees the ranch, has echoed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s assessment, acknowledging in its "2050 Stewardship Framework" that the frogs require undisturbed habitat. The framework specifically notes that the ranch’s Piedmont grasslands support "several species of conservation concern that require habitat components that are unique and rare." Despite these acknowledgments, the land board has entered into a lease agreement with Crestone’s parent company, Civitas Resources, granting them the right to drill on the property. The responsibility for approving the precise locations of the wells rests with state regulators.

The northern leopard frog is not the first species to potentially halt or alter industrial projects. Historically, imperiled species have served as catalysts for environmental review and protective measures. The Braken Bat Cave meshweaver spider, for instance, once halted highway construction in San Antonio, Texas. In West Virginia, the Indiana bat’s presence led to the stalling of a multimillion-dollar wind farm. Similarly, the endangered snuffbox mussel interfered with bridge construction over the Grand River in Ohio, and in California, the delta smelt played a role in preventing proposed water infrastructure improvements. These precedents suggest that the northern leopard frog could indeed become a significant factor in the decision-making process for the proposed drilling site.

Crucially, surveys conducted by consultants hired by Crestone have identified northern leopard frogs in areas near the proposed Sunlight/Long pad over the past decade. A summary filed by the energy company with state regulators prior to a critical November 19 hearing details these findings. The amphibians were observed in creek beds adjacent to the project site during surveys conducted between 2012 and 2015, and again in 2018. More recent surveys in 2024 and this year further suggest that these creek beds may serve as important overwintering sites for the frogs. Researchers engaged by STAR, who documented three frogs in the area this past fall, concluded in a September 22 report that these repeated sightings "seem to indicate a stable population at this site." The report, authored by Adaptation LLC, a firm retained by STAR, posits 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.

In response to these findings, state wildlife officials communicated their concerns in a September 30 letter to the Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission. They suggested that an alternative location for the oil and gas pad would offer greater protection to the frog by preserving more of its habitat. However, Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist Brandon Marette acknowledged in his letter to commission director Julie Murphy that such an alternative is currently unfeasible due to Arapahoe County regulations, which mandate that oil and gas operations be situated at least 3,000 feet from reservoirs. Marette further emphasized the precarious state of western U.S. populations of northern leopard frogs, noting 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."

Given these challenges, Marette proposed specific mitigation measures designed to reduce the risk to frogs from an access road intended to handle a high volume of truck traffic daily to the proposed pad. This road will be situated just 500 feet from the reservoir, raising concerns about "fatalities resulting from truck and vehicle traffic." Marette recommended that state regulators require the energy firm to schedule construction of the pad and road improvements between December 1 and February 28, when the frogs are in hibernation. Additionally, Colorado Parks and Wildlife requested that Crestone conduct regular "windshield surveys" to "document any (frog) mortalities on the road" at least weekly between March and November, the active period for the amphibians. Any deceased frogs observed would need to be reported to Parks and Wildlife.

The significant role of the northern leopard frog in the regulatory process is evident in the commission director’s recommendation regarding the Sunlight/Long pad. In her extensive 265-page report, Murphy referenced the amphibian approximately 90 times. Murphy noted that Crestone has agreed to align pad construction with the frog’s hibernation period, conduct pre-disturbance surveys for frogs, and implement silt fences designed to guide amphibians toward culverts that will pass under the proposed road. Crestone, in a prehearing statement, acknowledged concerns for the frogs and noted that its agreed-upon mitigation measures incorporated "aspects" of the findings from the Adaptation report. Jamie Jost, an attorney representing Crestone, stated in the prehearing statement, "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."

Meanwhile, habitat disturbance is already underway on other sections of the Lowry Ranch. Earlier this year, state energy regulators approved several multiwell pads as part of a comprehensive area plan that could ultimately include up to 166 wells across eight locations by 2030. Residents in neighborhoods adjacent to the ranch’s southern edge formed STAR in 2022 to protest the initial drilling plans submitted by Crestone, raising concerns about pollution, seismic activity, noise, and traffic. These concerns have drawn national attention to Colorado’s 2019 mandate that requires the state’s energy agency to prioritize public health, safety, and the environment over the profits of fossil fuel companies. This directive led to the promulgation of extensive regulations and 17 rulemaking periods to implement the new policy.

STAR’s advocacy has demonstrably influenced how the Energy & Carbon Management Commission considers neighborhood concerns. The group submitted thousands of comments opposing the Sunlight/Long pad, prompting the commission to hold a rare public hearing in the community in September. STAR, represented by legal counsel, became the first residents’ organization to formally appear before the commission at a hearing in 2024 and is scheduled to testify again. The nonprofit continues to test the boundaries of Colorado’s new oil and gas regulations, challenging Crestone’s compliance with requirements for developing wildlife protection plans for new and modified drilling locations. Mike Foote, STAR’s attorney, argued in prehearing statements, "Wildlife resources are to be protected to the same extent as people and the environment. 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, Hanophy, the retired biologist, remains apprehensive. She expressed concerns that pollution, noise, and vibrations could disrupt frog breeding, that land disturbance could fragment critical habitat, and that increased traffic could 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 encircling 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." The fate of the northern leopard frog, and by extension, the ecological health of the region, hinges on the complex interplay between industrial development and conservation efforts, a balance that state regulators must now carefully weigh.