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<b>LAS CRUCES SUN NEWS<br>
</b> <br>
(Also in the Alamogordo Daily News) <br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_8935618" eudora="autourl">
http://www.lcsun-news.com/ci_8935618<br>
</a> <br>
<b>Settlement reached in rare butterfly case<br>
</b> <br>
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press Writer<br>
Article Launched: 04/15/2008 05:33:26 PM MDT<br><br>
<br>
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.A settlement reached by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and environmentalists requires the agency to take the first step
in determining whether a rare butterfly found only in southern New Mexico
deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act. <br>
<br>
WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity sued the
federal government in January in federal court in Washington, D.C., to
force the agency to make a decision on the Sacramento Mountains
checkerspot butterflywhich the federal government previously proposed as
an endangered species. <br>
<br>
The 2-inch butterfly exists only on about 2,000 acres in high-elevation
meadows in the mountains near the Sacramento Mountain village of
Cloudcroft. The groups contend the butterfly is being threatened by
climate change, insecticides, development, off-roading and livestock
grazing. <br>
<br>
"There's a lot of stress that this butterfly faces despite the fact
that it does occupy such a small corner of the earth," Nicole
Rosmarino, wildlife program director for WildEarth Guardians, said
Tuesday. "This butterfly is perched on the brink of
extinction." <br>
Under the settlement, the Fish and Wildlife Service has until late
November to review a petition filed by the groups that seeks listing of
the subspecies as either endangered or threatened, said Elizabeth Slown,
a spokeswoman for the agency's regional office in Albuquerque. <br>
<br>
If the agency determines the petition is valid, it will have until August
2009 to study the butterfly and decide whether it should be protected.
<br>
<br>
Noah Greenwald, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity,
said the settlement means the butterfly will get another chance at
federal protection. The Fish and Wildlife Service in September 2001 had
proposed listing the butterfly as endangered, but he said the agency
never finalized that decision and withdrew it in December 2004. <br>
<br>
The agency said at the time that threats were diminishing and the
butterfly didn't need endangered species protection. But the groups
renewed their push last summer after the Forest Service and the village
of Cloudcroft approved plans to spray a chemical over thousands of acres
to combat an infestation of looper caterpillars. <br>
<br>
"Even though the Forest Service and the village backed off and
agreed to spray later, it just really highlighted to us that this species
is clearly imperiled and does need protection," Greenwald said.
<br>
<br>
Slown said the fact that the butterfly has been through the review
process before will help biologists as they consider the groups' most
recent petition. <br>
<br>
The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly is one of many across the
nation that are facing threats to their survival, said Scott Hoffman
Black, executive director of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate
Conservation in Portland, Ore. In fact, the group has 54 butterflies
ranging from Oregon to North Dakota that are on its "red list."
<br>
<br>
Black admitted that butterflies are small and often overlooked, but he
said the role they play in the ecosystem is much bigger than their size.
<br>
<br>
"Many of them pollinate plants, and without our
pollinatorsincluding butterflies and beeswe're not going to have all of
the fruits on the plants that feed all of the birds and the mammals.
They're really the backbone of these ecosystems," he said. <br>
<br>
Black said one key to ensuring the survival of imperiled butterflies is
cooperation with land managers, including federal agencies, local
governments and private landowners.<br>
<br><br>
<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
*************************<br>
Scott Hoffman Black<br>
Ecologist/Entomologist<br>
Executive Director<br>
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation<br>
4828 SE Hawthorne <br>
Portland, OR 97215 <br>
Direct line (503) 449-3792<br>
sblack@xerces.org<br><br>
<i>The Xerces Society is an international, nonprofit organization that
protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their
habitat. <br>
</i> <br>
To join the Society, make a contribution, or read about our work, <br>
please visit
<a href="http://www.xerces.org/">www.xerces.org</a>.<br><br>
<br>
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