Thursday, June 02, 2016

North Dakota Fish and Game Scientific Collections Permit Request – Minnesota Zoo

Project Objectives The Minnesota Zoo’s Prairie Conservation Program partners with numerous federal, state, and local agencies to establish the world’s first and only ex situ populations of federally protected prairie and to understand the causes of their population declines. The Minnesota Zoo has now been asked by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Poweshiek skipperling Recovery Working Group (Delphey et al 2016) to also initiate rearing operations with the garita skipperling (). The goal is to use garita skipperling as a surrogate to help inform methods for parallel conservation rearing with garita’s closest living relative, the critically endangered Poweshiek skipperling (). Our proposed work for permitting will fall into two areas: 1) Surveys: We seek to support surveys of prairies across North Dakota to provide status updates for garita skipperling and other prairie butterflies. 2) Surrogate husbandry research: The collection of the eggs from live females of garita skipperling from North Dakota. These individuals will be reared at the Minnesota Zoo as surrogates for the endangered species to help inform husbandry protocols.

Project Rationale and Background

Species experts at the October 2015 “Poweshiek Skipperling and Dakota Skipper Ex Situ Assessment and Planning Workshop” followed a structured decision-making process developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to assess the feasibility and potential format of for ex situ conservation programs for these two federal listed butterflies. Attendees recommended that the Minnesota Zoo initiate 1) the world’s first and only formal ex situ “headstarting” program to reinforce populations of the U.S. Endangered Poweshiek skipperling, 2) continue expansion of ex situ rearing and breeding of U.S. Threatened Dakota skippers to assist a new reintroduction program, and 3) expand ex situ operations to include the garita skipperling as a surrogate species to inform Poweshiek skipperling husbandry methods (Delphey et al 2016). The first two recommendations are not part of this permit request, but we will need to obtain garita skipperlings from North Dakota to conduct the third recommendation.

Garita skipperling is a small short- to mixed-grass prairie butterfly that is listed as a Minnesota Threatened species (and may even be extirpated from the State), but is relatively predictable and locally common across western and central North Dakota where it is not a protected species. Therefore, the Minnesota Zoo will likely need to rely on the nearest reliable United States populations in North Dakota to obtain livestock for the recommended surrogate species husbandry program. The local nature of some garita skipperling populations, the narrow timeframe in which flights may occur, and the potentially dispersed geography of large garita skipperling populations across North Dakota also limit the ability of Minnesota Zoo staff to rapidly and efficiently identify and collect ample numbers of gravid females, particularly given the existing husbandry demands with Dakota skippers at the Minnesota Zoo.

To accomplish this, the contractor will be charged with surveying multiple prairie sites across western and central North Dakota to 1) help locate garita skipperling populations, 2) determine the optimum date(s) Thursday, June 02, 2016

Minnesota Zoo staff should travel to those populations, and 3) potentially aid Minnesota Zoo staff in the collection of female garita skipperlings from multiple localities to maximize size and the utility of the ex situ garita skipperling population.

Survey Methods

Surveys will be conducted under contract with the Minnesota Zoo by Dr. Ronald Royer, an experienced North Dakota Lepidopterist and Professor Emeritus at Minot State University, and/or by Minnesota Zoo staff Dr. Erik Runquist or Cale Nordmeyer. Dr. Royer would be tasked with surveying a number of sites across North Dakota to locate strong populations of garita skipperlings that would serve as reservoirs for egg collection activities for surrogate species husbandry research (see below). As much as possible, the contractor would also document all other observed butterfly species. Dr. Runquist and Mr. Nordmeyer manage the Minnesota Zoo’s Prairie Butterfly Conservation Program, and are experienced Lepidopterists that work closely with these species and these habitats. Surveyors will collect data for each survey on at minimum the following information: (a) date, search duration with start/finish times, weather conditions (cloud cover, wind speed [Beaufort Scale] and direction, temperature), and GPS coordinates (decimal degrees, WGS84) for each individual garita skipperling encountered, or (b) for search locations where no garita skipperlings have been detected, a brief description of factors that may have precluded detection (e.g., lack or suitable habitat, degraded habitat, etc.). These data will be compiled into a synoptic report at the conclusion of the research and made available to all relevant agencies.

Egg Collection Methods

Based on the recommendations of the Poweshiek skipperling recovery working group, we seek to initiate husbandry research with garita skipperlings in 2016. This will help inform parallel operations with Poweshiek skipperlings, as well as potentially We propose the ability for Minnesota Zoo staff listed above (and potentially the contractor) to collect up to 10 live garita skipperling females per location when encountered if abundances are deemed suitable. These collections may occur at up to potentially four sites, resulting in a total state-wide take of 40 gravid females. Egg collection methods will follow those that have been successfully employed by Minnesota Zoo staff with other skipper species to date. Females that are temporarily held for egg collection will be gently captured with a soft mesh butterfly net and placed directly into capped plastic tubes (like 50 mL tubes) that provide enough room for the butterfly rest normally. Only one butterfly is placed in a single tube to prevent damage. The butterflies are not to be handled with forceps or by hand to minimize the risk of any injury. As soon as possible, these tubes and the associated butterflies are placed in a dark container with cool (but not freezing) gel packs and promptly (within 6 hours) transported back to a secure hotel or facility where egg laying will take place. In the secure environment, individual females are placed in a 12-oz white paper cup for egg laying. A small hole is punched in the bottom of the cup, and this cup is nested within a second similar cup that holds a small amount of water. Fresh grass clippings are strung through the first cup’s hole into the water. Two other small holes are punched in the side primary cup and Q-Tips soaked in a fresh artificial nectar source (a Gatorade/honey solution) are placed in these holes. The primary cup is then sealed with a soft fine-mesh fabric (e.g., organza) and a rubber band. The cups are placed on under full-spectrum lights on an indoor table in a warm (but not hot) west- or south-facing window to gain key afternoon sunshine. The females are attended to at all times by authorized and trained Minnesota Zoo staff, and misted with water at least three times daily to prevent desiccation. Eggs are collected and counted nightly, and females are rested in the cool darkened room Thursday, June 02, 2016

at night. Females are provided with an additional feeding of the artificial nectar source when eggs are being collected, which could provide substantial health benefits to females and increase their longevity. At no time are the females touched directly and are instead gently coaxed into and out of cups with the soaked Q-Tips.

If desired by regulatory authorities, females may be released back to the wild at the location of their original capture within 72 hours of their initial capture, as we have done successfully with other species. Releases would occur in the cooler morning hours, and females would to be placed gently from their original 50 mL collection tubes directly onto a preferred nectar flower. This release method decreases the chances that females will disperse away from their core habitat upon release.

All collected eggs are transported back to the Minnesota Zoo, where the resulting larvae are reared individually into the next summer in sealed potted host plants according to protocols outlined in the Zoo’s Standard Operating Procedures manual (available upon request).

Timeline Garita skipperlings typically fly from mid-June to the beginning of July across North Dakota, depending on location and yearly phenology. Surveys to identify viable populations for egg collection are planned to begin the week of June 13th, 2016 and extend into the end of June. Depending on seasonal phenology, egg collections would likely occur during the third or fourth week of June. These eggs would be brought back to the Minnesota Zoo to optimize husbandry and breeding methodologies into the summer of 2017 and beyond.

Permitees Erik Runquist, PhD Butterfly Conservation Biologist, Minnesota Zoo 13000 Zoo Blvd Apple Valley, MN 55414 952-431-9562 [email protected]

Cale Nordmeyer Butterfly Conservation Specialist, Minnesota Zoo 13000 Zoo Blvd Apple Valley, MN 55414 952-431-9233 [email protected]

Ronald Royer, PhD Emeritus Professor of Science, Minot State University PO Box 54 Backus, MN 56435 218-947-4340 [email protected]