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Karner Blue Butterfly Partnership a Success New Hampshire’S Captive Rearing Restores Karner Blue Butterfly Population in New York

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Karner Blue Butterfly Partnership a Success New Hampshire’S Captive Rearing Restores Karner Blue Butterfly Population in New York © CHRIS MARTIN New Hampshire Fish and Game’s quarterly newsletter of the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Karner Blue Butterfly Partnership a Success New Hampshire’s Captive Rearing Restores Karner Blue Butterfly Population in New York As a Wildlines reader, you are likely aware of New Hampshire’s progress toward recovery of the Karner blue butterfly and its habitat. Nevertheless, you may not © 2015 Ahave heard how we have been able to help New York, New Hampshire Fish and Game which was the original source for New Hampshire’s Department captive-bred butterfly population. Glenn Normandeau By the year 2000, Karner blues were gone from Executive Director New Hampshire, eliminated due to loss of pine bar- Wildlines rens habitat. That year, the Nongame and Endangered John Kanter, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program Wildlife Program took over a captive-rearing and release Coordinator program begun by The Nature Conservancy and the Ellen Snyder, Writer-Editor U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Thus began N.H. Fish Victor Young, Graphic Design Becky Johnson, Copy Editor and Game’s effort to recover this federally endangered / DREAMSTIME.COM © SVITLANA ANDRIEIANOVA Cheryl Talon, Data Manager species and restore the Concord Pine Barrens – site of the last known population in the state. N.H. National Guard facility in Concord and has been “We realized that in addition to restoring and man- raising butterflies for release into the wild. This takes spe- aging the remaining pine barrens, we needed a captive cial care: ideal temperature, relative humidity, and light rearing program to restore Karner blues to the wild,” that correspond to outdoor environmental conditions in said John Kanter, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife which they will be released, all with very careful handling Program Coordinator. to ensure survival of eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. The 603-271-2461 In the ensuing years, New Hampshire Fish and WildNH.com Game built a captive-rearing lab and plant nursery at the KARNER continued on page 4 Wildlines is funded in part through the sale of Taking Action for Wildlife Conservation License Plates. mooseplate.com As soon as New Hampshire Fish and Game completed challenges ahead.” the state’s first-ever Wildlife Action Plan in 2005, a team The Wildlife Action Plan is a road map for Afrom UNH Cooperative Extension and Fish and Game conserving all native fish and wildlife species, both created Taking Action for Wildlife, which helps towns common and rare, such as the Eastern brook trout, and landowners conserve wildlife and habitats. cobblestone tiger beetle, marbled salamander, and /nhfishandgame “Taking Action for Wildlife has inspired many whip-poor-will, among many others. For species people to get involved – on their land, in their town, that are rare or in decline – called species in greatest as a citizen scientist, with a land trust, or volunteering need of conservation – the Plan includes a profile in other ways,” said Emily Preston, Nongame and that details population status, habitat needs, threats Endangered Wildlife Biologist and member of the team. to survival, conservation strategies, and management “These collective actions over the past ten years have guidance. Landowners, volunteers, biologists, helped alleviate some threats facing our most vulnerable wildlife and offer guidance in tackling new and existing ACTION continued on page 2 ACTION continued from page 1 researchers, communities and other partners have used this information to assess wildlife populations, restore habitats, conserve land and water, develop conservation plans, and more. Citizen scientists – volunteers helping researchers collect data – are rapidly expanding our knowledge of the state’s fish and wildlife. Led by New Hampshire Audubon’s Dr. Pamela Hunt, a corps of 100 “dragonhunters” scoured the state Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly for dragonflies and damselflies from (Calopteryx maculata) 2007 to 2011, resulting in over 18,000 Volunteers known as “dragonhunters” records of 157 species, including four search for dragonflies and damselflies never-before recorded species in the HUNT PHOTOS © PAM from their canoe. state. At high elevations, mountain bird watch volunteers are surveying for the Hampshire Department of Environmental Waterways are gradually being restored to uncommon Bicknell’s thrush, while Services has worked with 13 communities to their natural paths, although there is still a coastal research volunteers are monitoring remove dams and restore the natural ecology long way to go. glass eels, planting dune beach grass, and of the rivers, including the Homestead Taking Action for Wildlife has helped restoring oysters. Wildlife enthusiasts Woolen Mill Dam in West Swanzey, many communities conduct natural resource can also report observations online at which opened up more than 20 miles of inventories, prioritize land conservation nhwildlifesightings.unh.edu. These are just the Ashuelot River. Likewise, thousands projects, and incorporate wildlife-friendly a few of the many projects that engage of culverts were previously installed under language and actions into master plans, volunteers to help assess populations and our roadways without thought to natural zoning ordinances and town forest guide conservation actions. water flow and fish and wildlife movements. management plans. Dams and road culverts are two barriers Planners, biologists, and volunteers assess In the past ten years, New Hampshire to free-flowing water and the movement culverts, plan upgrades or new installations land trusts, communities, and state and of fish, mussel larvae and other aquatic with an eye to maintaining natural federal agencies permanently protected over life, and thus are identified as risks in the streambeds and unrestricted stream flows 234,000 acres. Many of these lands were Wildlife Action Plan. Since 2005, the New through larger, wider, open-bottom culverts. identified in the Wildlife Action Plan as highest-quality wildlife habitat in the state. Landowners who are willing to conserve SUPPORT THE NONGAME AND ENDANGERED their land were essential in achieving this level of land conservation, and many did WILDLIFE PROGRAM so because of their keen interest in wildlife. In Gilmanton, Nanci and Charlie Mitchell conserved their land and are managing Please count on me to help protect nongame wildlife! their oak-pine woodlands for whip-poor- Donate online at wildnh.com/nongame, or mail in your gift: wills, moist forests for woodcock, and have fixed eroded roads and trails to protect water quality. In Shelburne, Larry Ely and ❏ $35 ❏ $50 ❏ $100 ❏ $250 ❏ $500 ❏ $1,000 ❏ Other $__________ Ginger Lawson conserved 130 acres that provide a wildlife corridor in the North ❏ Check enclosed Country, connecting the Carter-Moriah and Mahoosuc mountain ranges. Charge to: ❏ ❏ ❏ Signature________________________________________________ Many people are working together to conserve, map and manage wildlife habitats Card Number__________________________________________________________ Exp. Date____________________ throughout New Hampshire. Public input is now helping to develop the ten-year update Name_______________________________________________________________________________________________ of the Plan that is currently underway ❏ Please check here if you wish to remain anonymous. at the New Hampshire Fish and Game Address_____________________________________________________________________________________________ Department. These success stories, among others, show that we can all take some City_____________________________________________________ State_________ Zip__________________________ action for wildlife, however small or large, and know that collectively, we are making a Phone # (if paying by credit card)__________________________________________________________________________ difference. Mail to: Nongame Program, NHF&G, 11 Hazen Drive, Concord, NH 03301 All gifts are tax-deductible. Please make checks payable to NHF&G/Nongame Program Wildlines 2 Summer 2015 Conserving Wood Turtles from Maine to Virginia Noted for its highly-sculpted brownish loss of adult wood turtles can be shell and orange neck and forelimbs, the devastating to a local population. wood turtle is declining across its range. Mortality from vehicles on roadways NThe decline in wood turtles and loss of and from haying machinery and their habitat is of such concern that eight illegal collection for the pet trade are states from Maine to Virginia, including serious threats to adult wood turtles Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly New Hampshire, have secured a three-year and additional reasons for their (Calopteryx maculata) nationally competitive State Wildlife Grant range-wide decline. to try to reverse the trend. “New Hampshire is critical Wood turtles live in streams and rivers, to the recovery of wood turtles,” often with sand or cobble bottoms, but not says Mike Marchand, Nongame at high elevations. In winter, they hibernate and Endangered Wildlife Program in undercut riverbanks or shoreline root Wetlands Biologist. “This new grant masses. In summer, they spend time in will enable us to assess populations, nearby floodplain forests, meadows, fields, identify priority conservation areas, and woods. Females lay eggs in June in well- and work with landowners to drained sandy areas, usually near water. This protect and manage high quality / DREAMSTIME.COM© ONDREICKA combination of river, shoreline, floodplain habitat. Our goal is to restore and upland habitats without fragmenting healthy and
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