Federally and provincially protected ALG NEWS—Vol. 4: Issue 1 Lepidoptera species Fall 2008 COSEWIC, SARA, AESCC, and AWA by Gregory Pohl, Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service Traditionally, Lepi- mittees charged with doing can designate protected doptera and other inver- species assessments, I'll status under SARA. The tebrates have not received attempt to demystify the CESCC is comprised of: very much attention from process here. - Four members from fe- environmentalists and deral government depart- conservationists. Most of Federal Protection. ments (the Canadian Wild- the energy has been di- Federally, species are life Service, Department of rected towards mammals protected by the Species at Fisheries and Oceans, Parks and birds, the "charismatic Risk Act (SARA). Pro- Canada, and the Canadian megafauna", rather than tection under SARA makes Museum of Nature on the less conspicuous or- it illegal to kill or harm a behalf of the Federal ganisms that dominate the species on federal lands. As Biodiversity Information planet. More recently, but- well, the federal and re- Partnership). terflies, the "charismatic levant provincial govern- - Thirteen members from megafauna" of the insect ments are obligated to de- provincial and territorial world, have begun to re- velop and implement reco- governments ceive attention. A few of very plans for protected - Three members from na- the better-known moth species. Species are asses- tional non-government sci- species, particularly those sed for conservation status entific, conservation or en- dependent on rare host by the Committee on the vironmental organizations plants, or associated with Status of Endangered Wild- - Nine scientific specialists seriously threatened habi- life in Canada (COSEWIC). on particular taxonomic tats such as sand dunes, COSEWIC reports to the groups (chairs of Species have crept up on the radar Canadian Endangered Spe- Specialist Subcommittees as well. But how exactly cies Conservation Council (SSCs) see below) does an insect species at- (CESCC), which is made up - One chair from the tain a status of "endan- of fe-deral, provincial, and Aboriginal Traditional gered" or "threatened", and terri-torial ministers respon- Knowledge (ATK) Specia- what does that mean any- sible for the management of list Group. way? As a member on species at risk. That body in (Continued on page 2) both the provincial and turn makes recommenda- federal scientific subcom- tions to parliament, which “Bewitched” By Gary Anweiler In the late summer of 1991 “sugaring” for moths demeanor, surreptitiously I was at the peak of my cooking away in my psyche painting bait on local golf- GUILD “Catocala madness”, lured had finally erupted into full course and city park trees. down to southern Alberta bloom and I was out there A sticky business and, as by the possibility of in the dusk whenever I had one soon discovers this far finding those exotics (for time and weather permitted; north, a late night adventure someone from CENTRAL can of sugar bait, knapsack as for much of the season it Alberta) like C. meskei, full of rattling glass jars and is approaching 11 PM hermia, parta, et al. extra flash-light batteries, before darkness finally Years of having Holland’s paint brush and most arrives. magical essay on importantly a casual (Continued on page 2) Contents of this Issue: Special points of interest: • Protected Lepidoptera species • Protecting Lepidoptera • A Witch Sabbath • “Bewitched” • Wolley Dod Award 2007 • 2007 Wolley Dod Award THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF ALBERTA LEPIDOPTERISTS’ ALG NEWS species' risk of extinction or extirpation. (Protected Lepidoptera species - continued from page 1) The assessment is a rigorous process based on the population size, geographic Candidates for COSEWIC are range, and perceived threats to the recommended by CESCC and are species. The result is a status So far, COSEWIC has assessed appointed under federal legislation for a recommendation; the species is deemed four year renewable term. not at risk, threatened, endangered, 28 butterfly and moths species Each of the nine SSCs focuses on a extirpated, or extinct. Additionally, a particular taxonomic group. They are species can been deemed to be of special for conservation status made up of scientific experts and at least concern, if it does not quite meet the one expert from the ATK Subcommittee. requirements of threatened or SSC members are selected by the relevant endangered, but the subcommittee has a SSC, and are appointed to four-year good reason to recommend that it be renewable terms. COSEWIC members, protected nevertheless. As well, a species conservation status; 10 of these occur in including SSC members, do not represent can be deemed data deficient, meaning Alberta (Table 1). Detailed status reports the agency, group or region from which that not enough is known about the and regular summary reports of species at they are drawn. They are appointed on the species, to make an accurate designation. risk are available on the COSEWIC basis of their expertise, and are expected Assessments of threatened, endangered, website. A list of species protected under to conduct assessments with strict or of special concern are recommended SARA is available on the SARA registry impartiality and independent of non- for protected status under SARA. At that website. scientific considerations. point, the recommendations are reviewed Lepidoptera are handled by the by the CESCC, and then sent to (Continued on page 3) Arthropod Specialist Subcommittee. parliament for debate before (hopefully) Besides Lepidoptera, this group is being passed actively assessing odonates, tiger beetles, into law. bees, and selected other arthropod taxa. Species are The subcommittee maintains a prioritized reassessed candidate list, and puts names forward for every ten consideration by the parent committee years to see (COSEWIC) to consider for evaluation. if a status From the species put forward by the change is various SSCs, COSEWIC selects a small warranted. number of species each year and So far, commissions status reports on them. COSEWIC COSEWIC may also accept unsolicited has assessed reports from the public. These reports are 28 butterfly then approved by the subcommittee and and moths used to suggest assessments of the species for Detailed status reports and regular summary reports of species at risk are available on the COSEWIC Weidemeyer's Admiral (Limenitis weidemeyerii), currently the only provincially protected Lepidoptera in Alberta. This specimen is from website. Idaho where it is neither endangered nor protected (photo T. J. Simonsen). (”Bewitched”— continued from page 1) So there was I, August 27, in a 25 lb. pike one always knew could be was, back on the bait, and then in my jar. little plantation along a prairie stream in down there when one was fishing (“guy No doubt about it....it was real! the grasslands west of Claresholm, AB caught one in this very lake just last So, what does one do with a Black (near Willow Creek Provincial Park), in year !!”). Kid stuff. Two trees later, so Witch??? What bit of science could be the blackness, checking baits. It can get a help me Buddha, there it was - a great big served by another specimen of a moth that bit spooky out there when one is alone, Black Witch sucking bait!! Too big for is unmistakable?? I thought about the especially if there is a bit of wind as there any of the jars I had with me!!! And then amazingly long flight it had made up from was this night. As I tired my mind she was ……………..gone!!! the tropics in the darkness, night after wandered off like a child. There were a Back to the van for the BIG jar I night, to a cottonwood along a creek in number of “cats” at the baits, a few other had there, still not 100% certain I had not southern Albert, Canada, perfectly timed noctuids, but nothing very EXCITING. A been hallucinating (always a possibility to coincide with the one in my head! voice in my head was babbling away and I for those of us who survived the 60’s!). heard it say “wouldn’t it be neat to find But when I returned to the tree there it a...a a.. Black Witch at my bait! Like that (continued on page 4) ALG NEWS—VOL. 4: ISSUE 1 Page 2 (Protected Lepidoptera species - continued from page 1) itically charged process. Recommendations are then made to the provincial Minister of Sustainable Resource Development to desig- nate protected status under the Alberta Wild- life Act. The AESCC is not proactive about maintaining a candidate list and assessing species; they simply carry out provincial assessments of species that have already been designated federally. So far, only one Lepido- ptera species (Limenitis weidemeyerii Edwards) is provincially protec- ted, but a second spe- cies (Tegeticula yuc- cassella (Riley) is in the Table 1. Alberta Lepidoptera species assessed for conservation status by COSEWIC, process of being assessed. and resulting SARA protection. Provincial Protection. disciplines, and deals with plants and Protected status for threatened and animals. Like its federal counterpart on With such a diverse group of endangered species is designated COSEWIC, the subcommittee com- provincially under the Alberta Wildlife missions status reports and makes status stakeholders at the table, the Act. Provincially, the process is very recommendations to the parent committee, similar the to federal one. Species are the AESCC. The AESCC is made up of AESCC's review of protected assessed by the Scientific Subcommittee members from industry, governments, and of the Alberta Endangered Species non-governmental organisations. With status recommendations can be Conservation Committee (AESCC). The such a diverse group of stakeholders at the scientific subcommittee is made up of table, the AESCC's review of protected a politically-charged process. experts from across all biological status recommendations can be a po- Besides federal and provincial designations, species are given global conservation rankings.