Fluttering Into Oblivion?
Two of Southern California's rarest butterflies, the tiny Hermes copper and Thorne's hairstreak, could become the first known species in the state to be driven into extinction after the sweeping autumn wildfires.
The butterflies are among two dozen endangered and threatened species that researchers are tracking after the devastating blazes, which scorched more than 740,000 acres and destroyed thousands of homes.
Endangered gnatcatcher birds could have a difficult time finding food this year. Mountain yellow-legged frogs, long a favorite of summer campers in the San Bernardino Mountains, probably lost their largest population when a creek burned twice, then was buried in mudslides.
"When I saw the magnitude of devastation, I realized in my lifetime I might see one, possibly two species
While the wildfires may have provided the final blow, environmentalists and some scientists say the real reason the butterflies are threatened is because their habitat has been devoured by development. Federal wildlife officials also have failed to act despite decades of evidence chronicling the decline, critics say.
"There's been totally ridiculous bureaucratic bumbling on the [U.S.] Fish and Wildlife Service's part
However, regulators said that, while they are concerned, reports of the demise of the two rare butterflies are premature.
"Of course we're worried about these species, but until we do some surveys this spring, I'm not going to go into crisis mode," said Alison Anderson, a federal biologist in Carlsbad.
If the butterflies do disappear, they will be part of a surge of extinctions worldwide because of encroaching development, some scientists say.
"The Hermes copper is one of the most unique butterflies in North America
"It's just like the Pleistocene era. The humans came in and all the large mammals disappeared from North America. The woolly mammoths, the saber-toothed cats, the camels, the wild horses
In a 1998 Harris Poll, nearly 70% of biologists surveyed said that a mass extinction is underway. But because it is difficult to document and can take a few hundred years for some species to truly be gone, it is difficult to sound the alarm.
Fire is a natural, even necessary part of the Southern California landscape. But so much of the region's habitat has been developed that there may no longer be room for species on the edge to make a comeback.
- 2 Butterfly Species to Be Protected Jan 17, 1997
- Unlikely Partners in Talks to Save Wildlife Aug 29, 2001
- Protections for Wildlife Criticized Apr 22, 2004
