In what is described as a "monster wildfire," officials say at least half of Bastrop State Park in Central Texas. The 2,000 acre park is home to "The Lost Pines of Texas," better known as Loblolly Pines and also hosts the endangered species of Houston Toads.
The fire is part of a 25,000 acre wildfire complex fanned by the high winds of Tropical Storm Lee. For a time Texas Parks and Wildlife officers were making the park as a command post, but had to be evacuated when the park itself came under the flames. Officials still hope to make a stand to save some of the park's historic structures, which date back to the days of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
As to the Houston Toad, officials are quite concerned about the amphibians. The park is
thought to have the largest number of breeding toads of this species in the world. With a world-wide estimated population of just three to four thousand, fears for its safety appear well founded. Information provided by wikipedia.com adds, "The largest known chorusing groups[of these toads] persist in Bastrop County, but the choruses monitored in Bastrop State Park showed a dramatic decline during the mid-1990s, with little recovery of those numbers since then. Importantly, that state park is the only public land that supports consistent chorusing from year to year of the Houston toad. However, even there, the total numbers are very low."
photos: fire--kvue.com toad--wikimedia.org
