Mount Charleston blue butterfly placed on endangered species list

It's one of Nevada's rarest species, and it's in trouble, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Mount Charleston blue butterfly on Wednesday was given Endangered Species Act protection, for fear the species could disappear completely. The blue butterfly is limited to Mount Charleston's upper elevations and is threatened by fire suppression efforts, fuel reduction activities and recreational development. "The beautiful Mount Charleston blue butterfly is in desperate need of help and we've got to move quickly," said  Nevada-based ecologist Rob Mrowka. "Even before prime areas of habitat were severely damaged by this summer's Carpenter 1 wildfire, there were very few of these butterflies left in the world." The Mount Charleston blue is a subspecies of the Shasta blue butterfly. First identified in 1928, it is less than an inch long. Males are blue and gray, while females are a subdued brown and gray. "If the Mount Charleston blue is to have any chance at survival, it will need quick action on the part of the Forest Service to ensure its habitat is maintained and restored," Mrowka said. "We sure hope that surveys conducted next year will find the survivors needed to rebuild the population." Source

Let's see. Prime areas of habitat were "severely damaged" by wildfire, but its threatened by fire suppression and fuel reduction. Makes sense, right?  And then there's the big threat from development.  So no fuel reduction, fire suppression or development in the "wildland urban interface", and then we can...watch it burn and burn hot.