This designated critical habitat includes areas on the Mark Twain National Forest in Reynolds County, Missouri.
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Rare Midwest Dragonfly Earns 26,500 Acres

After two lawsuits by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies, last Friday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doubled the size of federally protected "critical habitat" for the endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly, upping the acreage from just 13,221 acres to 26,532. The insect, a 2.5-incher renowned for its aerobatic virtuosity and electrifying green eyes, is the only dragonfly on the U.S. endangered species list --and it still has only a few scattered breeding populations remaining in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, and Missouri. Yet when the feds designated critical habitat for the insect in 2007 -- after we filed suit over a delay -- they slashed their own proposed acreage by half, leaving out key national-forest lands in Michigan and Missouri. So we sued again and earned protection for those lands.

"Thanks to the designation, Hine's emerald dragonflies now have a chance to recover from the brink of extinction," said Center Senior Attorney John Buse. "Protecting habitat is the best way to bring back these spectacular insect predators." The Hine's emerald is primarily threatened by urban and agricultural development, off-road vehicles, road and pipeline construction, logging, and groundwater contamination.