Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly in New Mexico recognized as endangered species
1/30/2023 5:36:05 PM
CATEGORIES:
Plants & Wildlife
AFFECTED AREAS:
Chaves County, NM
Lincoln County, NM
Otero County, NM
Start Date: 1/30/2023
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly in New Mexico as being an endangered species. The orange and dark-brown butterfly is found only in high-elevation meadows in the Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico.
In 2001, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to protect the butterfly due to habitat loss from livestock grazing, drought and the suppression of historical low-intensity fires.
The Associated Press (New York), Jan 30, 2023
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