Submitted by organizers

Staff from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife invite landowners on San Juan and Lopez islands to learn more about the conservation of the island marble butterfly. Landowners can enter an agreement with the agencies to protect the candidate species before it is officially listed as endangered or threatened. This understanding is called a Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances.

The USFWS staff will provide a presentation and an open discussion forum on incentives for property owners to enroll in the CCAA. The forums will take place from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 26 at the Lopez Island Center for Community and Arts, as well as 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 27 at the San Juan Island Grange.

The island marble butterfly does not migrate and is only found on San Juan Island. After 90 years without a documented occurrence, the island marble butterfly was rediscovered in 1998 on San Juan Island. Island marble butterflies are most visible in the spring when they are winged adults, but for the rest of the year, they are present as either eggs, caterpillars or chrysalises. After an island marble butterfly emerges from its chrysalis, it immediately mates and lays eggs, flying only a few days before dying.

For more information about island marble butterflies, visit www.fws.gov/wafwo

To learn more about CCAAs, visit www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/CCAs.pdf.