Blue Butterfly

I was thrilled to read of the rediscovery of the Palos Verdes blue butterfly (March 30). The butterfly, which had not been seen since 1983 and had been feared extinct, was rediscovered recently by Dr. Rudi Mattoni on Navy land next to an oil refinery.

I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the 1980s and the Palos Verdes blue was one of about 12 threatened and endangered species in Oregon and California that were assigned to my responsibility. Many of the less-glamorous species protected by the Endangered Species Act received little if any funding and we were lucky if we were able to survey the habitat of species such as the Palos Verdes blue once every two years.

The loss of the last known population at Hesse Park in Rancho Palos Verdes has remained the darkest hour of my career as a conservation biologist. The tragedy of the loss was confounded because it was intentional. We were appalled that representatives of a city government would sacrifice a species for a ball field.

The story of the rediscovery tells us a lot about the need for systematic biological surveys of our country. It also says much for the dedication and persistence of people like Dr. Mattoni. And finally, it demonstrates that at least some landowners, like Chevron in this story, proudly accept stewardship responsibilities for endangered species on their land. Seldom are species “brought back from extinction” and given a second chance.

JACK E. WILLIAMS Ph.D.

Science Adviser, Office of the Director

Bureau of Land Management, Washington