For Immediate Release, June 27, 2018

Cottage Grove Passes Resolution Supporting Endangered Oregon Butterfly

Taylor's Checkerspot Butterfly Mural Celebration Happening Friday

PORTLAND, Ore.— The city of Cottage Grove passed a resolution last night in support of the Taylor’s checkerspot, an endangered butterfly whose habitat has been curtailed by 99 percent as prairie grasslands are converted for agriculture and urban development.

The city marks the southernmost portion of the butterfly’s range. The resolution calls for ongoing conservation efforts and public education about the butterfly’s plight.

With the city’s support, the Center for Biological Diversity is hosting an event Friday evening to celebrate a new mural of the creature, marking the 15th installment of the Center's national Endangered Species Mural Project.

“By supporting this butterfly, Cottage Grove is setting an example for other cities to step up and help the recovery of local endangered species,” said Tierra Curry, a biologist at the Center. “The collaboration between the city and the Center takes this tiny, 2-inch butterfly and makes it 20 feet tall so people can appreciate its beauty. We hope they’ll be inspired to help protect it and other imperiled local wildlife.”

Portland artist Roger Peet designed and painted the mural.

“The diversity of wildlife around us helps define our communities,” said artist Roger Peet, who spearheads the Endangered Species Mural Project. “By painting larger-than-life endangered species in cities and towns across the country, I hope to raise awareness of the connection between conservation and community strength.”

What: Endangered Species Mural Project public celebration with live bands, craft activities, and refreshments

Who: Artist Roger Peet and Center conservation biologist Tierra Curry

When: Friday, June 29, at 6 p.m.

Where: 106 S. 10th St., Cottage Grove, OR (the Bohemia Building, corner of Washington and 10th)

Cost: Free

Species Background
Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori) is a medium-size, colorfully checkered butterfly with a wingspan of about 2 inches. It formerly occurred throughout the extensive grasslands, prairies and oak woodlands of Vancouver Island, the Puget Sound basin and the Willamette Valley.

As this habitat has diminished due to urban sprawl and agriculture, so has Taylor's checkerspot. The butterfly is currently known to be present in just 11 sites in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, including sites on the Olympic Peninsula, Puget Trough and Willamette Valley. The butterfly gained federal Endangered Species Act protection in 2013 as the result of Center advocacy.

Mural Project Background
The Endangered Species Mural Project has installed 15 murals in public spaces around the country. Other murals already in place include the streaked horned lark in Portland, Ore.; a mountain caribou in Sandpoint, Idaho; an Arctic grayling in Butte, Mt.; a monarch butterfly in Minneapolis, Minn.; a jaguar in Tucson, Ariz.; and grizzly bears in Oakland, Calif.

Learn more on our website.