Image courtesy of Parks Canada

By Connor Gunn

Parks Canada, Calgary Zoo conserving endangered butterfly in Waterton

Jan 13, 2021 | 12:57 PM

WATERTON, AB– Parks Canada and the Calgary Zoo are working together to conserve and restore the endangered half-moon hairstreak butterfly population in Waterton Lakes National Park.

Parks Canada is contributing $289,000 in support to the Calgary Zoo for the three-year project.

According to a news release: “The half-moon hairstreak (Satyrium semiluna) is a small, brown butterfly listed as an endangered species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The only location where this butterfly is known to exist in Alberta is in Waterton Lakes National Park in the Blakiston Fan, a grassland area along the entrance road to the park.”

This program will advance longer-term population monitoring and will greatly improve understanding of the life history of the half-moon hairstreak butterfly.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Jonathan Wilkinson, says keeping these butterflies safe is their top concern.

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“National parks play an important role in addressing the impacts of climate change, protecting our biodiversity, and contributing to the recovery of species at risk. Parks Canada is pleased to partner with the Calgary Zoo to support the survival of the half-moon hairstreak butterfly in Waterton Lakes National Park. Together, we are protecting our natural environment, and the wildlife that call it home, for generations to come.”

It will also support the collection of genetic material to assess the possibility of “wild-to-wild translocations of butterflies from other populations in B.C. or Montana,” the release reads.

Conservation activities will include assessing and restoring the butterfly’s habitat and managing invasive plants.

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