Lunada canyon is a 20 7 acre parcel in the northern portion of the 61 acre agua amarga reserve figure 2 within the greater palos verdes nature preserve pvnp located in the city of rancho palos verdes,…

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 awarded a $319,975 cooperative agreement to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation (CFDA 15.657) federal grant program. The funding will support habitat restoration activities within the 13-acre Lunada Canyon parcel to establish habitat for the federally endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly. Key deliverables include the removal of non-native vegetation and restoration of native plant species and host plants that the butterfly depends on. The restoration work will prepare the site for the future reintroduction of butterflies from an existing captive breeding program. The Nov 30, 2022 through Jul 1, 2025 award complements recovery goals for the rare regional species under the agency's federal incidental take permit.

Lunada canyon is a 20 7 acre parcel in the northern portion of the 61 acre agua amarga reserve figure 2 within the greater palos verdes nature preserve pvnp located in the city of rancho palos verdes, LOS angeles, california the pvnp is the primary conservation area associated with the city of rancho palos verdes city natural community conservation plan habitat conservation plan nccp HCP since 1990, the palos verdes peninsula land conservancy land conservancy has owned and managed the lunada canyon area of the agua amarga reserve the primary focus of this restoration project is to establish native vegetation to support the successful reintroduction and recovery of the federally endangered palos verdes blue butterfly pvbb within its historic range the pvbb is a palos verdes peninsula figure 1 endemic and one of the rarest butterflies in the world habitat for pvbb consists of the species host plants, astragalus trichopodus VAR lonchus ocean locoweed and acmispon glaber deerweed , as well as other early successional native forb species that provide nectar sources for the butterfly the city supported the last remaining habitats for pvbb before IT was thought to be extinct in 1984 mattoni 1995 , so reintroduction within the city is essential for the species survival and recovery currently, there are two known wild populations on the peninsula not including 2020 release locations with as little as 3 estimated individuals at defense fuel supply point dfsp and 7 at linden h chandler preserve lunada canyon is a relatively narrow canyon within the agua amarga reserve and california natural diversity database records indicate previous use by pvbb in the 1980 s currently, lunada canyon consists of intact coastal sage scrub CSS and cactus scrub habitat as well as a mosaic of riparian habitat and areas of degraded riparian, CSS, and cactus scrub habitats with high cover of invasive plants at various site visits throughout the preserve with pvbb stakeholders in early 2020, the canyon was agreed upon as one of the best locations for pvbb habitat restoration and reintroduction this project proposes to create 13 acres of pvbb habitat in the degraded habitat areas within lunada canyon figure 3 the land conservancy will also incorporate pvbb habitat requirements which includes regular disturbance to provide for the ideal conditions for the future reintroduction of the species from an existing captive breeding program restoration activities include the removal of non native vegetation, and the restoration of native vegetation and pvbb host plants the canyon provides gentle slopes and protection from wind that typify pvbb habitat however, additional host plants and a mosaic of CSS communities and open areas will need to be established through habitat restoration to sustain pvbb the relative isolation and small size of lunada canyon will allow the land conservancy to carefully manage the habitat with minimal ongoing threats of invasive plants and human disturbance finally, the installation of interpretive signage at the restoration site will share the story of the pvbb and the efforts to save IT, while inviting the public to get involved in our community restoration efforts this project will establish needed pvbb habitat within this historic occurrence location without funding for this project, lunada canyon would not be ideal for release of captive pvbb ultimately, the goal is to establish several such sites, reintroduce pvbb to these sites, and meet recovery goals for the species we hope that this innovative project will be used as a template for future restoration projects within the pvnp to restore pvbb habitat this project complements the nccp HCP, but does not satisfy any mitigation requirements associated with the issued u s fish and wildlife service s USFWS federal incidental take permit