The Xerces Society Announces the 2005 Joan Mosenthal DeWind Award Winners.

The Xerces Society is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2005 Joan Mosenthal DeWind Award for Lepidoptera Research and Conservation:

USING BEHAVIOR TO LINK RESTORATION TO POPULATION DYNAMICS FOR AN ENDANGERED BUTTERFLY
Leslie Rossmell, Washington State University - Vancouver

This study examines effectiveness of a habitat restoration technique which creates nectar-source buffers adjacent to endangered Fender's blue butterfly habitat. Understanding dispersal behavior is a critical component in designing reserves that serve as sources to bolster the population. Leslie will compare dispersal behavior in buffer areas with and without nectar sources to predict effects on population dynamics. Results of this study will enable better conservation by influencing decisions about reserve design. This behavioral approach links on-the-ground restoration action to population dynamics, a linkage rarely made in scientific literature and one with potential to greatly aid restoration strategies for endangered invertebrates.

INVESTIGATING THE USE OF HERBICIDES TO CONTROL INVASIVE WEEDS: EFFECTS ON AT-RISK BUTTERFLIES
Cheryl Russell, Washington State University - Vancouver

Northwest prairies support several at-risk butterfly species. These prairies are severely impacted by invasive perennial grasses and few management techniques hold promise in reducing these weeds. Cheryl will investigate the effects of herbicide exposure on at-risk butterflies by using the Puget blue butterfly as a model species. Larvae will be subjected to herbicide exposure followed by assessment of lethal and sublethal effects to make recommendations to land managers on the use of herbicide in these sensitive habitats.