Fracking has already contributed significantly to an unreasoned breakup of contiguous lands and violations of special habitats that contain smaller, more vulnerable populations.

Even as fracking expands, forest lands shrink around the world as scientific observers in different countries document the extinction of species.

One long-term study showed the disappearance (extinction) of small mammals with the development of a hydroelectric dam in Thailand. The fragmentation of contiguous land resulted in the invasion of species, e.g. rats and a number of mammals ceased to exist. The threats to mammals and amphibians vary in kind depending on the area or region. In the case of the Marcellus Shale area a high diversity of species that have adapted to narrow geographical ranges are particularly vulnerable (Gillen and Kiviat 2012).

It is impossible to ignore other factors that lead to a critical point. People are experiencing climate change in different ways. So is wildlife. Gas and oil companies compound this with their water usage in high drought areas as the chart shows on the right. Even without this taking the current drought conditions in the western and central parts of the United States that are significantly affecting species' habitats.

There are increased reports of distressed species losing their specialized geographical rang because of fracking. Fish and animal species experience forced migrations out of their natural habitats because of worsening of air and water quality, as well as water availability. In addition, the conduct of fracking activity, including noise, contributes to the advance of invasive species and diseases.

Frogs, for example, have narrow ranges and so they are frequently studied by ecologists to study the health of an environment because their permeable skin absorbs everything including toxic chemicals. Globally, an estimated third of our frogs are gone. Frogs continue to disappear at a fast rate and show gross abnormalities.

Gillen and Kiviat's 2012 study focused on the overlap of industrializing Marcellus and Utica shale-gas regions with relatively rare species that were particularly sensitive to forest fragmentation and the loss or degradation of water quality. This study included 1 mammal, 8 salamander types, 2 fish types, 1 butterfly, and 3 vascular plants .

How massive of an intrusion can be associated with fracking? A Princeton study found that a single gas well resulted in the clearance of 3.7 to 7.6 acres (1.5 to 3.1 hectares) of vegetation, and contributed to a collective mass of air, water, noise and light pollution interfering with wild animal health, habitats and reproduction.

There are typically, 16 horizontal fracking wells per square mile in the mostly rural area of the Marcellus shale creates toxic waste fluid equivalent to 1600 traditional vertical wells per square mile. A typical Marcellus well pad with 7 wells adds up to about about 9,000 ground trip truck trips. using local roads, more fresh water use from local streams, lakes, and aquifers and contaminated water return to be disposed of somewhere. More drill cuts containing radio active materials have to be disposed of. There are more toxic chemicals that require disposal.

The practice of multistage fracking further increases disturbances over larger areas. This means larger disturbed areas estimated to be 30 to 40 acres for each well pad which holds storage of more fluid, chemicals, drill cutting, drilling fluids, equipment, and multiple wells. Some fractures associated with these pads can extend for a horizontal mile.

Segments of well bores placed at as little as 300 feet can extend a mile or more. “Fracking a dozen or more segments one at a time results in a substantially longer period of invasive activity and requires millions more gallons of contaminated water.” (Robbins).

Public lands play host to a boom and bust economy operating with large interests and smaller unknown players scrabbling for profits.

Consequently, large tracts of rural landscapes in the U.S. have drastically changed with viable evidence of serious disturbances to habitat, particularly in association with increased forest fragmentation which many of the most vulnerable species depend on.

One Nature Conservancy study looked at 250 hydraulic fracturing drilling sites to see the spatial footprint and concluded that each well pad could disturb up to 30 acres of habitat. Another study estimated 1 well pad per 40 acres.

The spotted owl (an indicator species), is designated  as a threatened species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  It lives in a narrow geographical range. Currently, its status is further threatened by massive logging that has been approved covering a large burn area. The expected return for logging what is now substandard timber is $5 million. Sadly, the few remaining spotted owls had found a friendlier habitat in the burn area, which might have save them.

  Meantime, on the science side, a Environmental Protection Agency  (EPA) program for species recovery, working with diverse interests, shows the loss of the few remaining spotted owls at 3% per year.

The scientists' toolkit includes HexSim simulations (available as free download software)  to model scenarios of the movements of some of the most vulnerable species, including the spotted owl. It has potential value toward understanding the impact of fracking with the help of other tools if the EPA is inclined to ask the question. There are concerns that, in general, the EPA has not addressed critical issues such as water quality.

Section 9 of the Endangered Species Act prohibits any person, public or private, from “taking” a listed species of fish or wildlife.

“Take” is a term of art— and a relatively broad one that encompasses both direct harm to individual members of a protected species and indirect harm through habitat alterations that injure any such individual.

“Section 9 imposes extraordinarily broad liability, particularly in comparison to laws that preceded it.

The ESA directly entitles endangered species to this protection, while threatened species can only obtain section 9 protection via regulations. All threatened species (with limited exceptions) governed by the FWS have this coverage and the NMFS provides it case by case to individual species.