Joint Meeting
Karner Blue Butterfly Working Group
Management Partners Workgroup

May 25, 2004
Howard Christensen Nature Center Field Station
Kent City, Michigan

Minutes

Present: Raymond Rustem (MDNR-Lansing), Larry Visser (MDNR-Cadillac), Larry Lyons (Outdoor writer), John Niewoonder (MDNR-Flat River SGA), Linda Koning (WMBA), John Legge (TNC), Jim Dunn (Grand Valley State), Corrie Towns (ANR Pipeline Co.-Farmington Hills), Thomas Funk (Binder Park Zoo), Daniel Hemmann (John Ball Zoo), Norah Fletchall (John Ball Zoo), Mike DeCapita (USFWS - East Lansing), Kristin Hanslovsky (Oceana Conservation Dist.), Willidene Hutton (Oceana Conservation Dist.), Jennifer Fettinger (MNFI-Lansing), Steve Mueller (Howard Christensen Nature Center), Charles Vannett, Carly Kelly (USDA-Huron/Manistee N.F.), David Schuen (MDOT), Michele Richards (Ft. Custer Training Center), Rex Ennis (USDA-Huron/Manistee N.F.), Gordon Ferguson (ENSR Corp.), Matt Groves ENSR Corp.), Margaret Parker (Consumer's Energy-Jackson), John Lerg (MDNR-Plainwell), Todd Hogrefe (MDNR-Lansing), Rhoda deJonge (Land Conservancy of West Michigan), Greg Swanson (Howard Christensen Nature Center, Doug Powless (Land Conservancy of West Michigan), Donna Jones (MDNR-Flat River SGA)

This was the first joint meeting of the KBB Working Group and Management Partners Workgroup

I. Welcome/Introduction/Update

John Lerg, Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB) Habitat Conservation Plan Coordinator, Michigan DNR, began the meeting with introductions.

The KBB does have legal protection as a federally listed species. However, there is a better method to functionally protect KBB habitat, and prevent take, other than by federal prosecution. That method is through education outreach. Raising public awareness is a means to protect KBB and work with willing private landowners. John shows the new Lupine Finder Cards and the new KBB brochure and asks all the meeting attendees to help get them into the hands of the public.

Michigan has made the decision to do an Environmental Assessment. John's goal is to have the first draft of the Michigan Recovery Implementation Plan (MRIP), Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), and the Environmental Assessment (EA) completed by this fall. There will be some repetition between the documents but that is how they are set up. The HCP will be habitat based, the EA will have the least biology, and the MRIP will have the most biology.

II. Karner Recovery Efforts in Michigan - Following on the Recovery Plan

Steve Mueller, Howard Christensen Nature Center Steve gave an overview of the KBB recovery plan in Michigan which he will be presenting to the Lepidopterists Society, July 2004, in Maryland.

• protect and manage the KBB through habitat
• evaluate and implement translocation such as what was done in the past with the Toledo Zoo
• develop range-wide and regional guidelines
• develop an implementation plan in education
• collect more scientific data i.e., what is the importance of ants found where there are KBB populations

III. The Structure of the Karner Blue Butterfly Populations in Michigan

James Dunn, Ph.D., Grand Valley State University Recovery Units

1. Muskegon/Oceana/Mason (Dr. Dunn Studies the KBB in this unit)
2. Newaygo/Mecosta/Lake
3. Allegan
4. Ionia/Montcalm/Barry/Kent
5. Monroe/Wayne (historical)
6. Northwest Indiana (Indiana dunes)

Goals for the Muskegon recovery unit

• locate and map all KBB subpopulations and lupine patches (potential subpopulations)
• estimate population densities by transects & MRR (mark release recapture)
• inventory and assess habitat quality of patches
• determine population structure of the KBB (type of metapopulation?)
• build a habitat-based predictive model that managers can use

Do not know the genetic variability of the KBB

• is it a true metapopulation?
• what is the influence of patch density, connectivity, and isolation on KBB populations?
• KBB occurs in a series of isolated patches throughout the landscape - do they migrate between these patches? If not, should we do it for them?
• within the last 10 years, KBB have become extinct in Ontario and near extinction in New Hampshire

IV. Education and Outreach Committee Report

Nora Fletchall, Assistant Director, John Ball Zoo A grant has been applied for through the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), Conservation Endowment Fund. This will lay the groundwork for a 15 year project which will educate children from their elementary through high school education. Through this whole process, the children's prospective attitudinal ideas about wildlife will be measured.

• start with 3 pilot schools where there is believed to be KBB
• develop model gardens to attract butterflies and teach about habitat
• develop curriculum for each grade that will meet with the Michigan Curriculum Standards
• integrate with the Granholm Mentoring Initiative
• begin with models, gradually expanding to habitat restoration

Nora and Tom Funk, Binder Park Zoo, will develop a KBB "marketing plan" to present to community leaders. They will give us a presentation of this at our next meeting.

V. Field Trip

Steve Mueller led a tour of the Howard Christensen Nature Center. The group also traveled to view KBB habitat on private land along the White Pine Trail in Kent County. Many KBB, in their first flight among the wild lupine, were delightfully viewed by all.

Next Management Partners Workgroup Meeting

Thursday, September 16, 2004
Location - to be announced Agenda for Next Meeting

• Review HCP, MRIP, EA drafts
• Review KBB/Habitat inventory
• Present E/O Marketing Plan
• Present HCP Implementation Plan