Rare insect studied for species protection

Glacier Park is home to special kind of stonefly

A rare stonefly found only at two high-elevation locations in Glacier National Park is getting some special attention from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The meltwater Lednia stonefly, also known as the mist forestfly, was one of 29 species that will be considered in full 'status reviews' for protection under the Endangered Species Act over the next year.

The agency selected the species after reviewing a petition to protect more than 200 species from the environmental group, WildEarth Guardians.

The group's wildlife director, Nicole Rosmarino, contends that the fly depends on streams fed by the park's shrinking glaciers. Because most of the park's remaining glacier's are projected to disappear by 2030, she said, climate change is an issue for this particular fly.

"The mist forestfly is like a tiny polar bear; its existence is tied to habitat that is melting away due to the climate crisis," Rosmarino said in a press release. "The forestfly's timeline for extinction due to climate change is even swifter than high-profile animals such as the polar bear and pika."

The federal wildlife agency has a different view on its responsibilities regarding climate change.

"If the only threat is climate change, it's very difficult for us to recover a species," said Ann Carlson, the service's regional listing coordinator in Denver. "What environmental organizations are interested in doing is tying carbon emission activities to the Endangered Species Act and regulating them through that. And it was never intended to do that."

If a coal-fired plant was being built in Wyoming, she said, "it would be very difficult to link that [as a threat] to a species in Glacier National Park. We do not have the authority to limit carbon emission activities under the act."

Carlson explained that the 90-day finding to conduct status reviews on the 29 species involved reviewing information on the species provided by the petitioners. The next step will involve gathering and assessing all the scientific information on the species that can be found.

The meltwater Lednia stonefly is so obscure that two fisheries biologists at Glacier Park were unfamiliar with it, and there is scant information about the bug on a Web site that specializes in rare species called NatureServe Explorer.

After "intensive collecting" of aquatic insects at sites throughout the park in 1979, the stonefly was found only at two high-elevation locations, the Web site states.

After the status reviews are conducted over the next nine to 12 months, Carlson said, the agency will determine whether each of the species is warranted for protection under Endangered Species Act.

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by e-mail at jmann@dailyinterlake.com