justnorth posted on September 19, 2007 00:10 :: 1956 Views
The Department of Natural Resources and the Detroit Zoo will host a public meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10, to discuss statewide and local plans for recovery of the federally endangered Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB). The purpose of this meeting is to communicate with nearby landowners and other interested parties about habitat restoration and reintroduction of the butterfly to the Petersburg State Game Area near Petersburg in Monroe County.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Whitetail Conference Room in the upper level of Cabela's in Dundee. Project leaders from the DNR and the Detroit Zoo will be present to give an overview of the project, answer questions about the process and implications of reintroducing this species, and inform landowners about state programs for landowners who wish to create suitable habitat on their own properties.
"KBB populations were once common from Minnesota to Maine, but due to loss of the oak savanna habitat very few populations still exist," said Joe Robison, DNR wildlife biologist. "We are working diligently to manage the game area in a way that prepares for reintroduction of this species."
Much of the restoration work involves re-creating openings, whether through physical brush removal or through controlled burning, and planting native wildflower seeds and native prairie grass in the openings.
"At the Detroit Zoo, we have been collecting data on the plant community in the Petersburg State Game Area for the past three summers and we believe the habitat will be ready for reintroduction of KBB in 2008," said Laura Palombi, associate curator of invertebrates at the Detroit Zoo. "We are helping prepare for this release by propagating butterflies this year at the zoo."
Adult female butterflies were collected from the Allegan State Game Area and brought to the zoo, where the butterflies laid eggs on potted lupine plants. Each egg, larva, and pupa was cared for until the new adults emerged. This year, over 125 adults raised at the zoo were released at restored sites in Ohio. Palombi plans on increasing the number of butterflies raised next year and releasing them at the Petersburg State Game Area. It will probably take about six or seven years to establish a viable population in southeast Michigan.
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