WDFW invites public comment on status review for mardon skipper butterfly

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on a draft periodic status review for the mardon skipper, a state–endangered species of butterfly. The public comment period is open through June 19.

Recent review of the butterfly’s population in Washington led biologists to recommend maintaining the mardon skipper’s status as an endangered species in the state.

“Although additional populations of the butterfly were documented in the southern Washington Cascades since state listing, populations of the mardon skipper in the south Puget Sound prairie have seriously declined,” said Taylor Cotten, WDFW Conservation Assessment Section Manager. “Habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, and climate change are some of the threats to the butterfly’s survival.”

The draft periodic status review for mardon skipper is now available on WDFW’s website. The public can submit written comments on the document via email or by postal mail to Taylor Cotten, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, P.O. Box 43141, Olympia, WA 98504-3200.

“Following the public comment period, we will brief the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission on the species’ status and public input received,” said Cotten.

The Commission will then vote to decide on maintaining the butterfly’s endangered status. The group is tentatively scheduled to consider this topic in summer 2023.

The mardon skipper (Polites mardon) is a small, tawny-orange butterfly with a stout, hairy body. This skipper is currently found at only five small, geographically disjunct areas in Washington, Oregon, and California. In Washington, the mardon skipper inhabits prairie habitats in the south Puget Sound region and montane meadows in the southeastern Cascade Mountain Range. Suitable prairie habitat in western Washington has been reduced to less than three percent of historical cover.

WDFW regularly researches and reviews information to inform status and classification recommendations for species of conservation concern in Washington. More information is available on WDFW’s At-Risk Species webpage.

WDFW works to preserve, protect, and perpetuate fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities.