The US Fish and Wildlife Service has designated about 10,000 acres in New Mexico and Arizona as critical habitat for the threatened Chiricahua Leopard Frog.
The designation means federal agencies will have to consult with the Fish and Wildlife Service before permitting activities like grazing and mining.
The frog has already disappeared from about 80 percent of its historical range. It faces threats from a deadly fungus and several non-native predators.
Michael Robinson with the Center for Biological Diversity, says frogs are disappearing all over the world, and their extinction doesn't bode well for the state of the environment.
"So the endangered species act is a crucial safety net to ensure that this animal and its life-giving ponds and wetlands will survive into the future."
In New Mexico, the new critical habitat dots parts of Catron, Grant, Hidalgo, Sierra and Socorro Counties.
