The Barometer Online

Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Contributed Photo Audobon, a local wildlife conservation organization, is working to protect Fender's blue butterfly. Fender's blue butterfly, previously thought to be extinct, has only been sighted in the Willamette Valley.

The Fender's blue butterfly is a species that was listed as endangered in the 2000 federal Endangered Species Act.

Originally, this butterfly was thought to be extinct from about 1940 up until the late 1980s.

The butterfly has been found in the Willamette Valley - mostly in Lane, Benton, Yamhill and Polk counties.

These populations are at great risk from habitat loss, loss of larval host plants and nectar sources, and tree and shrub encroachment.

The Audobon is an organization that works to conserve and restore natural ecosystems - focusing mainly on birds - and is currently taking an interest in the preservation of the Fender's blue butterfly.

John Gaylord has been with the Audobon for about four years and has worked specifically in making the Audobon a "green" organization.

Gaylord has created 14 points to help this idea and one includes planting trees.

Last year, the Audobon planted almost 200 trees for the W.L. Finley Wildlife Refuge, which the community and OSU Sigma Alpha Epsilon Greek members participated in.

"We had a blast, and there was a lot of people there," said SAE's Philanthropy Chair Brandon Fassiotto, a sophomore in construction engineering management. Fassiotto recalled getting up early in the morning and having fun working in the mud.

This year, the focus is on the endangered Fender's blue butterfly.

The Audobon's plan is to plant Kincaid's lupin, which is the primary larval host plant, and Nelson's checkermallow, the main food source for the butterfly.

The William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge is trying to re-establish some of the habitat that has been lost over the years, as well as manage the area, and is working with the Audobon to provide a planting site.

"Restoration planting is part of our management plan, and Audobon has volunteered to help us do that," said Sallie Gentry, the visitor services manager at the refuge.

One of the benefits of the collaboration between the refuge and the Audobon is that it is federally owned and protected land.

Continued...

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