The grasslands and prairies of Puget Sound stretch from coastal southern British Columbia through Washington south into the Willamette Valley of Oregon. This presentation will focus on two species recently proposed to be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) that are native residents of the prairie-oak ecosystem of South Puget Sound, specifically in Pierce and Thurston Counties.

Although the prairie-oak ecosystem covers a small amount of land area (approximately 4 percent), more than three-quarters of the human population reside in the same area of the states and province where the prairies are found. The challenge of conserving species in areas of dense human settlement is compounded by the need for commercial and residential development, the threats of invasion onto prairies by woody vegetation, the spread of invasive, nonnative organisms (plants and animals), and changes in the climate.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, based on the best scientific information available to it, elevated the Taylor’s Checkerspot butterfly and the Streaked horned lark (bird) to Federal candidate species status in October 2001. This candidate status indicates that there is sufficient information to list these species under the ESA, however, funding was not received until 2011 to carry out the rule making. Since first identifying the species as candidates, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife has worked with regional federal, state, and county agencies, and universities and nongovernmental organizations to conserve prairies through management, and in some cases, acquisition of lands to support these species.

lly improving its management methods to conserve these species. This talk will focus on the threats faced by these species, the history of the conservation actions, and the results that have been achieved for managing prairies for the long-term conservation of these prairie associated species.