Numerous pollinating insect species are currently in a global decline due to numerous factors including habitat loss, invasive species, pesticide use, small population size, and other factors

Prairies are one of the rarest ecosystems in washington state, and IT is estimated that 3% of native grassland or prairie ecosystems remain today in the puget trough geographic region of the state. In the SAN juan islands, rare and endangered pollinator species such as the island marble butterfly (euchloe ausonides insulanus) and the western bumble BEE (bombus occidentalis) along with other once-thought common pollinating insects species are disappearing from across the archipelago. Species like taylor?S checkerspot butterfly (euphydryas editha taylori) have been extirpated from the SAN juan islands and currently lack suitable habitat and host plants for future translocation. The island marble butterfly no longer exists across much of its former known range on SAN juan and lopez islands. Currently, the narrowly endemic island marble butterfly is observed only within an extremely restricted to single small location on south SAN juan island, where the only known population of the species is estimated to be between 200-500 individuals. Lack of suitable habitat limits dispersal and makes the species highly vulnerable to environmental and demographic stochasticity which can lead to a population decline that is unrecoverable and results in extinction. The objectives of this project are to improve resources for rare, endangered, and declining pollinators and continue to reintroduce the island marble butterfly to portions of its previously known range by engaging landowners and residents in SAN juan county. The SAN juan islands conservation district is proposing to conduct fencing, site preparation, ground disturbance, weeding, and supporting establishment of native prairie/coastal meadows at private landowner properties. Achieving species resiliency, redundancy, and representation requires protecting, enhancing, and expanding key habitat resources across the SAN juan islands.