This rare Nevada butterfly will soon get federal protections

A 1-inch butterfly that can only be found beside hot springs near the Nevada-Oregon border will soon be awarded federal protections under the Endangered Species Act, the law meant to protect plants and animals at risk of extinction.

The bleached sandhill skipper’s largest population is found at the Baltazor Hot Spring — a spring that’s located next to what is planned to become a geothermal energy plant.

Some environmentalists worry that the 84-acre plant operated by Ormat, which has received all required permits from the Bureau of Land Management, could alter the flow of nearby groundwater. Ormat’s media representative did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.

The final environmental assessment for the project does mention the bleached sandhill skipper, with some facilities moved to accommodate the habitat. The BLM ultimately declared that any impacts to the species would be “unlikely and minor,” and Ormat committed to doing assessments of the species every year for the first five years of the project.

“The wetlands these butterflies need to survive will dry up and blow away unless we can protect the water that sustains them,” Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “Endangered species protections can help ensure this rare butterfly is still here for future generations.”

Only about 1,000 of the butterflies were found in recent annual surveys, according to the nonprofit conservation organization. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to list the species in 2012.

With the proposal for protections on Tuesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service began a 60-day public comment period. Within a year, a final rule awarding protections will be issued.

In Southern Nevada, the Mount Charleston blue butterfly is another species that has similar federal protections.

The new proposed protections are paramount for the longstanding fight to protect rural Nevada’s water, according to Donnelly.

“The bleached sandhill skipper needs the same thing to survive that we do: water,” Donnelly said. “With these endangered species protections, we aren’t just protecting charming little butterflies and their wetland habitat. We’re protecting the water that sustains all life in the desert, including our own.”

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.