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CLOUDY Temp: 41 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Monday, December 16, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend December 15, 2002 Rare butterfly may flutter near extinction Society asks Fish and Wildlife to list the Mardon skipper as threatened By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune With the Mardon skipper butterfly flitting on the edge of existence, the Xerces Society wants it protected by Uncle Sam. The rare butterfly inhabits southeastern Jackson County; the society comprises lepidopterists — people bitten by the butterfly bug. The lepidopterists asked the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week to list the Mardon skipper as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The small tawny-orange butterflies have been found in the Soda Mountain area of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. They represent the only known Oregon population of the species. Other tiny populations are located in Del Norte County, Calif., and the southern Puget Sound and Mount Adams areas in Washington. Most of the populations support fewer than 50 butterflies, according to the society. "They are all very small, very fragile populations," said society executive director Scott Hoffman Black, a scientist who is an entomologist and ecologist. "From what we can tell, they seem to be declining," he added. Three small populations of the butterflies around Mount Adams already have disappeared, mainly because of the loss of the native, fescue-dominated grasslands they depend on to survive, he said. "Anytime you have small disjunct populations, you increase the chances of losing them," he said. Placing the butterflies, which he said are important environmental monitors, under the auspices of the Endangered Species Act will greatly improve their survival, Black observed. Joan Jewett, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s regional office in Portland, said the agency has not yet had a chance to review the petition. It was one of dozen petitions received last week. Upon receiving a petition, the agency has 90 days to determine whether the petitions warrant further review, then a year to decide whether to list the species as threatened or endangered. The butterfly is already listed as threatened by the state of Washington. The Xerces Society also petitioned to have the Taylor’s checkerspot and the island marble butterflies listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. If the agency decides in favor of the petition, it would then study the populations, something that is sorely needed with the Southern Oregon butterflies, Black said. "There is really very little data about the Southern Oregon population," he said, adding, "That’s one of the things (more research) we would like to see happen." With more than 100 species found in the region, the Soda Mountain area has the most diverse species of butterflies in the West, possibly North America, according to scientists. Each butterfly is species specific, meaning it depends on a specific species of plant to reproduce. "These butterflies deserve a threatened listing now," Black said. "We think that would do enough to bring an awareness to them and help them survive." For more information, check out the Web site at www.xerces.org/endangeredbutterflies.htm Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S