This ‘Endangered Species’ Case Finally Ended in Defeat for the Government
10th July 2019
The saga began in 2012 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that 1,544 acres of land in Louisiana was “critical habitat” for an endangered species known as the dusky gopher frog.
As a result of this designation, the federal government was considering a ban on the development of the property, depriving the private property owners of $33.9 million.
The federal government continued to pursue this action even though the dusky gopher frog has not been seen in Louisiana in over 50 years. The frog couldn’t even survive on the property. The only way the area could support the frog is if the private property owners make major and costly changes to the property—changes they have said they have no inclination to make nor can they be forced to make.