A rare butterfly found near the Nevada-Idaho border could be lost forever if a geothermal project is allowed to continue, according to environmental advocates.
Protection sought for rare butterflies at Nevada site journalrecord.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from journalrecord.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today to grant Endangered Species Act protection to an extremely rare butterfly called the bleached sandhill skipper.
The butterfly is restricted to a single alkali wetland in Humboldt County, Nevada. It could face extinction if the Baltazor Geothermal Development Project, proposed by developer Ormat, proceeds.
Geothermal energy, while a carbon-free power source, has a well-documented history of drying up nearby springs. Across the globe hot springs adjacent to geothermal projects have gone dry or cooled off, with significant impacts on native biodiversity. If the hot spring which creates this butterfly’s habitat dries up, it will go extinct.