October 28, 2026 - 6:00 am

An environmental group has sued the federal government, alleging officials unlawfully delayed granting protection to two imperiled species that could be threatened by a proposed gold mine and other mines planned along the Amargosa River.

The Amargosa toad and a tiny fish known as the Oasis Valley speckled dace both live only in spring-fed wetlands near Beatty, about 115 miles northwest of Las Vegas. That slice of Nye County is primed for gold mine development, causing a clash between economic aspirations and concern for species and the water that keeps them alive.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged last year that protections under the Endangered Species Act may be warranted.…