The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to add the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly to the Endangered Species Act.
“In recent years, the ecosystem where the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly lives have been degraded by prolonged drought, overgrazing, human recreation, and non-native plants,” Amy Lueders, a regional director for the service, said in a statement. “With nowhere else to go, this rare butterfly is now facing a high risk of extinction.”
The population of the butterfly has been shrinking since 1999, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The butterfly, which is virtually undetectable, is not protected by state law, the center said.
The species lives in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico at an elevation between 7,800 and 9,000 feet, on scattered patches of a three-square-mile area of forest near the town of Cloudcroft, according to the group Wild Earth Guardians.
"Livestock grazing, fire suppression, off-road vehicle use, road construction, residential development, exotic weeds, extreme weather," threaten the butterfly, the group said.
The proposed listing was published in the Federal Register Jan. 25 under Docket No. FWS-R2-ES-2021-0069, according to the FWS.
Public comments will be accepted until March 28, the release stated.
"We encourage the public, academia, tribes, federal and state agencies, industry and other stakeholders to review the proposal and provide comments," the FWS said.
