Lynn, it is the same in my neighborhood. I used to catch toads out here when I was 13 years old (about 13 years ago now). There would be SO MANY toads that at night, the streets would be literally littered with them. They'd come sit out on the pavement when it's still warm and eat insects around people's neighborhoods. I want to say I saw on average 5 toads for every 50 feet.. and these were the ones I wasn't actively looking for that were just sitting in plain view. There was always a ton more crawling through people's yards searching for food. The last time I saw a toad was 4 years ago, and I accidentally stumbled upon it when I saw odd movement in someone's yard. It actually made me very sad seeing it, because I knew that's the last time I'd most likely see one for many, many more years. Haven't seen one since then.

I understand what you mean, and I agree with it. It seems like our experiences are very similar, and once the damage to the ecosystem is done, it's usually too late for us to repair it.