RENO, Nev.— Responding to a Center for Biological Diversity petition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed Endangered Species Act protection for the bleached sandhill skipper. This extremely rare subspecies of butterfly lives in alkali wetlands in far northern Nevada.

The skipper faces threats from declining groundwater levels due to agriculture use and a proposed geothermal energy project, habitat trampling by livestock grazing, and drought and increased heat due to climate change. Recent surveys have located fewer than 1,000 individuals annually.

“The bleached sandhill skipper is a miracle in the desert, and this is a big step toward preserving a unique butterfly adapted to the harsh conditions of alkali wetlands,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The wetlands these butterflies need to survive will dry up and blow away unless we can protect the water that sustains them. Endangered species protections can help ensure this rare butterfly is still here for future generations.”

The skipper lives in three alkali wetlands within a dozen miles of each other in Humboldt County, Nevada. The wetlands are created by highly mineralized thermal springs, which discharge warm water throughout the year, ensuring that the butterfly’s habitat doesn’t freeze solid in the harsh Great Basin winter.

Full-grown skippers are about 1 inch long, with pale golden-orange markings. The caterpillars of the bleached sandhill skipper use saltgrass for food and shelter, while adult butterflies nectar on rabbitbrush. Both plants require constant supplies of groundwater for survival.

Declining groundwater levels have been observed in monitoring wells surrounding the wetland habitats. Groundwater pumping in the area for agriculture, in particular for alfalfa, has contributed to these declines, which have been worsened by catastrophic drought due to climate change.

There is also an approved geothermal energy project directly adjacent to the largest bleached sandhill skipper population at Baltazor Hot Spring. Geothermal energy has been found to cause severe impacts to adjacent surface water features and poses a significant risk to the skipper.

“The bleached sandhill skipper needs the same thing to survive that we do: water,” said Donnelly. “With these endangered species protections, we aren’t just protecting charming little butterflies and their wetland habitat. We’re protecting the water that sustains all life in the desert, including our own.”