Karner Blue Butterfly Assisted Migration in Western Wisconsin

Karner blue butterfly (KBB) populations are exposed to various stressors, including: loss of habitat, succession due to limited or lack of management, lack of connectivity between areas of suitable habitat and changes associated with climate change. Collectively, these stressors would be addressed by this proposed project. The overall project will add a new subpopulation within the historic KBB range by using a modified version of the Egg Salvage Protocol (WDNR 2014) to translocate KBB eggs into restored habitat, will enhance habitat within a buffer around this new subpopulation to ensure sufficient connectivity of suitable habitat between new subpopulations and currently occupied population, and will enhance existing KBB occupied habitat. This specific funding opportunity will enhance existing Karner Blue Butterfly populations on managed public land so that vegetation with KBB eggs can be moved to new locations from this source population.This is a notice of intent to award a single source Cooperative Agreement to the University of Minnesota under justification 505DM2.14B(4) and will be written under Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU. Competition for this award is not practicable as the project was developed in conjunction with staff at the University of Minnesota. Staff at University of Minnesota have expertise with ecological principles and analytical techniques necessary to complete the project. Staff at the University also have a combination of skills with butterfly ecology and citizen science needed for this project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will be substantially involved in projects under this funding opportunity. In particular, the Service will be responsible for the following: this project will be in collaboration between St. Croix Wetland Management District Biologist (Christopher Trosen) and the recipient. The project staff and trainees will be jointly selected by the principal investigators. Field direction of the project will be overseen by Mr. Trosen. Research project data collection will be a partnership between the University of MN and the Service with data analysis completed by the University. Mr. Trosen retains the ability to limit the scope of the work as he will be closely involved in the operations of the program for the duration of the agreement.