Feds reconsidering habitat for dragonfly

By JOHN FLESHER
AP Environmental Writer

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- The government is reconsidering its decision not to grant strong legal protection in two national forests, including one in Missouri, for North America's only dragonfly classified as endangered.

The Hine's emerald dragonfly was added to the federal endangered species list in 1995. It lives in only a few Midwestern wetland areas.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated critical habitat for the dragonfly in 2006, as required under the Endangered Species Act.

But it exempted more than 14,000 acres in Michigan's Hiawatha National Forest and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, even though those lands include prime habitat for the dragonfly.

Four environmental groups sued the agency over that decision. Under a deal announced Friday, the agency agreed to revisit the matter and take public comment in April.

"The settlement prevented what could have been a dangerous national precedent," said Andrew Wetzler, endangered species project director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The Hine's emerald dragonfly has bright emerald-green eyes and a metallic green thorax, with yellow stripes on its sides. Its body is about 2.5 inches long, its wing span about 3.3 inches.

Habitat loss is the biggest reason for its decline, as wetlands in the upper Midwest have been drained for farming and urban development. Other culprits include logging, pipelines, off-road vehicles and road construction.

Once critical habitat is selected, federal agencies must consult with Fish and Wildlife scientists before taking or authorizing actions in the area that might threaten the species, such as issuing permits to drain wetlands.

The decision to exempt 12,963 acres in the Hiawatha National Forest and 786 acres in the Mark Twain National Forest meant the dragonfly and wetlands that support it would get less protection there than on nearby private lands, Wetzler said.

"We look to the new administration to designate enough critical habitat for the species to recover from the brink of extinction," said John Buse, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Messages seeking comment were left with the Fish and Wildlife Service's Midwestern office.

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