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By Matthew Krumenauer, environmental project manager
American Transmission Co. serves as a partner in Wisconsin's Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). The HCP is the product of an innovative statewide partnership to protect the habitat of the Karner blue butterfly. The plan represents a new approach to implementing endangered species protection and an unprecedented conservation effort in the state of Wisconsin.
The Karner blue butterfly is a small butterfly that depends upon the wild lupine plant for survival. Central and southwestern Wisconsin supports the largest population of Karners in the world where the wild lupine thrives on roadsides, oak savannahs, pine barrens and utility corridors.
ATC actively manages more than 2,000 miles of right-of-way with consideration for the Karner blue butterfly. This includes conducting surveys for potential habitat and identifying which areas to apply conservation measures. As part of ATC’s Species Habitat Conservation Agreement with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, we have committed to training ATC employees and contractors who will be conducting work in these areas.
This year ATC’s Environmental Department is offering training to all employees and contractors that will be working on areas that may have Karners. ATC is also reaching out to landowners that would like to get more information about the Karner and its habitat or would like to work with ATC on promoting and protecting habitat in and around the utility right-of-way. There are many options available to landowners that would like to promote endangered species habitat, including funding from the Fish and Wildlife Service and grants from the Sand County Foundation.
For more information on the Karner blue butterfly please visit the WDNR Web site at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/forestry/karner/learnmore.htm or contact Matt Krumenauer at 920-338-6545. |
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