After a third petition from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed Jan. 25 to list the New Mexico Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly as endangered.
The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly is a subspecies of the variable checkerspot and is native to the Sacramento Mountains in south-central New Mexico, according to USFWS.
CBD said the butterfly and its habitat have continued to decline over the past 20 years due to development, livestock grazing, motorized recreation, invasive species, fire suppression and climate change.
“This pretty little butterfly is on the brink of extinction because of delay and politically driven decisions by the (USFWS),” said Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at CBD.
USFWS said in its proposed rule that although livestock grazing has the potential to impact the butterfly, there are no active grazing allotments in any areas occupied by the butterfly, and livestock are not a primary risk factor for the butterfly’s status.
The legal battle between the conservation group and USFWS spans over two decades, with CBD’s first petition to list the butterfly submitted in January 1999. The agency decided that listing may be warranted, but emergency listing was not. In September 2001, USFWS published a 12-month finding to list the butterfly as endangered with critical habitat, but the rule was withdrawn in December 2004.
In July 2007, the agency received another petition, this time from ForestGuardians, which is now known as WildEarth Guardians, along with CBD. The petition listed cattle and feral horse grazing, noxious weeds and climate change among the threats facing the species. In response, USFWS published a finding in December 2008 that listing may be warranted but then published a 12-month finding in September 2009 that listing was not warranted.
Since 2009, the agency said drought from climate change has worsened in New Mexico, and it therefore worsened habitat consequences for the butterfly. In addition, USFWS said feral horses and elk have switched to browsing certain plants that are important for the butterfly. The agency initiated a status review of the species in January 2021 and also received a CBD petition in March 2021, after the analysis was already underway.
Public comments on the proposed rule are being accepted through March 28. To submit comments, search for document ID 2022-01210 at regulations.gov, or mail comments to Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R2-ES-2021-0069, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
