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A8 THE REGISTER-GUARD • MONDAY,AUGUST 4-,2003 Habitat: Invasive weeds choke out natives Continued from Page Al Fender's blue populations near farms and vineyards have taken Eugene and Salem,said Steve a heavy toll. Smith,private lands biologist Fragile plants and insects for the Fish&Wildlife Service. that rely on these vanishing na• twThe ability to migrate be- that prairies and oak savannas rat en populations may tics and haven't had much of a chance. rate the butterfly's genetics and "We've hammered them help the species bounce back, pretty hard,"Newhouse said. botanists believe. "For me,it's important to find Three miles west of Monroe, these remnant ecosystems and the linkHalsins hope to establish restore them the best we can so one rink re habitat chain h. we can keep some of that natu- their 270-acre workingRawith Ranch. ral identity." The two are =?` Smith to design a reintroduc- Subject of suit ; •`,; tion plot for Kincaid's lupine Earlier this year,the Native ti- <..•- and Fender's blue. Plant Society and four onset- . 3 - They'll begin by clearing vationCounty weeds and establishing compat- groups in Lane r • sued the Fish 8c Wildlife Service v '' ' 'e, herble native p aging Mowing and over the pace of restoration ef- • w herbicide spraying will help forts for the butterfly and lu- make itr knack down exotic plants and pine as well as a second rare make way for the lupine,which will be transplanted a few years plant,the Willamette daisy. later.The butterfly may colo- The plaintiffs claim the nize the area on its own or may agency has moved too slowly in need to be introduced someday. designating critical habitat for The couple previously creat- the three species since it listed ed a pond in a former field on them under the federal Endan• their land with the agency's as- gered Species Act in early 2000. sistance.Within a few years,it The butterfly and daisy,found was teeming with wildlife,in- only in the Willamette Valley, eluding the threatened western are endangered.The lupine, pond turtle. whose range is primarily in the "People get so excited that valley,is a threatened species. ., => we're doing this,"Warren Fish&Wildlife officials are . Halsey said."It's not an ego working on a regional recoverything;it's spreading a happy plan that will benefit all prairie message." species at risk.As part of that, The Fish&Wildlife Service they're developing techniques is working with nearly 50 land- to measure how much habitat owners in the valley on an ar- rare plants occupy—and how BRIAN DAVIES The Register-Guard ray of restoration ro ects this much will be needed before the / projects species can be downgraded An endangered Fender's blue butterfly gathers nectar from year. red-petaled "A lot of people want ponds from threatened or endangered. p aled common vetch in west Eugene wetlands. and waterfowl,"Smith said. In the meantime,they point "When we start talking about to progress toward restoration healthy population,and we'll the success of previous projects, upland prairie,it's a whole oth- at places such as Baskett work out from there,"Beall including lupine and butterfly er game.It's a new science.I III Slough National Wildlife Refuge said."You take care of what recovery in the Willow Creek don't think there are any ax- nine miles west of Salem. you have first." natural area and at a small perts out there." Baskett Butte,rising from West Eugene a hot spot study plot off Danebo Avenue. The Institute for Applied the middle of the 2,492-acre ref= At the Danebo site,lupine Ecology is helping assemble a uge,has the largest population It's the logical approach, was planted four years ago.Two better base of knowledge,Kaye of Fender's blue butterflies in Newhouse said. years later,the butterfly said.The organization conducts 11 most years.That's thanks to a "As botanists,we tend to showed up at the site and began research on how best to restore strong presence of spurred lu- concentrate on these remnants laying its tiny eggs on the plant, and maintain native valley hab- pine,a host plant for the butter- and the potential to propagate establishing a new population. itats.It also collects seeds from fly that's closely related to from the remaining natives,"he The butterflies may have mi- the listed plants for direct seed- Kincaid's lupine,said Jock said. grated there from the colony at ing efforts as well as to raise Beall,wildlife biologist for the With that in mind,the west Willow Creek more than a mile them in greenhouses for trans- refuge complex. Eugene area has taken center away,said Kaye,the Corvallis planting. But the habitat is jeopar- stage in the most promising res- botanist. "Our success has been good dized by encroaching cherry toration work trained on "It's very exciting,"he said. with some attempts with and fir trees,poison oak and ex- Kincaid's lupine and Fender's "It suggests it may be possible, Kincaid's lupine,and other at- otic weeds,Beall said.And in blue butterfly populations. with strategic plantings,that tempts with that same species the absence of the fires that Expanding the habitat for we could use an if-you-build-it- are a complete failure,"Kaye used to burn in the valley each those species is one priority of a they-will-come strategy." said. year,even the oaks are growing partnership between the city of That's the idea behind a But the biggest impediment too thick and chasing out the lu- Eugene.The Nature Conservan- growing emphasis on the role of to successful restoration work, pine,he said. cy,the federal Bureau of Land private lands in native plant he said,is the competition from "The butterfly habitat there Management and the U.S.Army restorations.Some valley resi- nonnative weeds. is gone,"Beall said,pointing to Corps of Engineers. dents are jumping at the chance "If we didn't have any exot- an oak grove on a south slope of In a few weeks,the partner- to establish populations of ics,restoration would be a the butte."It's essentially ship will break ground on a wet- threatened and endangered snap,"he said. gone." land and upland prairie restora- plants,and the Fish&Wildlife "There's a long list of inva- The agency has begun ag- tion project at a 15-acre site Service is giving them technical sive grasses,from reed ca- gressively mowing invasive near West 18th Avenue and and financial support. narygrass to false brome to vel- plants and removing unwanted Bertlesen Road, said Ed Alver- private lands a key vet grass. trees to favor upland prairie son,who manages 990 acres of "The list is just nauseatingly and oak savanna habitat at the conservancy land in the Willow Private lands offer the best long and makes restoration and refuge. Creek watershed on the south- opportunity to establish new is- recovery of endangered plant "So we are getting more ac- west edge of Eugene. lands of habitat that could serve species and their dependent an- tive here where we have this Officials hope to replicate as stepping stones between the imals very difficult tasks."