BigImpact: Howthe Dakota SkipperButtertlyCould Impact Your Next Engineering Project

The conservation of pollinators and their habitats has beena hot topic in the Midwest and across the nation in recent years. The most popular pollinator that most people think of isthe honeybee, but there is an equallycriticalpollinator that is disappearing from the Upper Midwest region at an alarming rate: the Dakota skipper butterfly. The Dakota skipper, federally protected under the Endangered SpeciesAct, is a small butterfly that makes its home in the remnant prairiesof North Dakota,South Dakota, Minnesota, and southern Canada. Their original range is unknown due to habitat loss that preceded large-scale biological surveys in the central U.S., however extensive surveying indicates the species has vanished from more than75% of its original range.

Since the Dakotaskipper and its habitat are protected, engineering projects such as oil and gas sites, roadways, airports, or even pipelines need to use caution when choosing aproject route.Many of these projects also crossthrough private land,which is where about50% of the known Dakota skipper population resides. ConductingDakota skipper habitat surveys can help determinewhether planned project routesinterferewith Dakota skipperhabitat, which would mean the route would need to be amended or the project modified. Dakota skipper presence/absence surveys will determine whether or not the Dakota skipper is occupyingthe habitat, but this work canonly be completed withina three-to-four-weektime period and only by a small handful of permitted professionalsthrough the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) -13 individuals to be exact

One suchpermitted professional is Corie Ereth,Senior Environmental Planner at KU. Corie is an expert in environmental conservation andenvironmental planning.She has worked in coordination with private landowners, local, state, federal, and Tribal agencies. Soon after the Dakota skipperwas listed as a threatened species, she collaborated with the Bureau of Land ManagementCBLM) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop abotanical survey method foridentifying potential Dakota skipper habitat.

Working at the intersection of conservation, development,and landownercoordination, Corie is able to identify potential Dakota skipper habitat andprovide consultation to clients on waysto move their projects forward while also conserving Dakota skipper habitat.

At KLJ, we love creating solutionsthat both reimagine what engineeringcan be and help conserve the environment for generations to come. For more on ourenvironmental capabilities, visit www.kljeng.com.

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