Action timeline

October 6, 2005 – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Salt Creek tiger beetle as endangered.

April 6, 2010 – The Service designated just 1,933 acres of critical habitat for the beetle.

February 23, 2011 – The Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Native Ecosystems and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation filed a lawsuit against the Service for not protecting enough habitat to save the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle.

June 7, 2011 – The Center and allies reached a settlement with the Service forcing it to consider increasing critical habitat for the Salt Creek tiger beetle.

June 3, 2013 – The Service proposed to designate a mere 1,110 acres of critical habitat for the endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle in Nebraska’s Lancaster and Saunders counties.  The decision stands in sharp contrast to a 2005 recommendation by scientists that 36,000 acres of habitat needed to be protected to ensure the recovery of the beetle.