Saturday event: Release of once-endangered butterfly

March 1, 2010

***REVISED***

MEDIA ADVISORY

Release of Once-Endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies Into Restored Habitat Part of Recovery Effort for Species

 

What:             Release of endangered Palos Verdes blue butterflies into restored coastal sage scrub habitat at the beautiful Deane Dana Friendship Community Regional Park and Nature Center (Friendship Park). The Palos Verdes blue butterfly is a small, colorful, thumbnail-sized butterfly that was federally listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1980. The release of endangered Palos Verdes blue butterflies at Deane Dana Friendship Park is one component of ongoing multiple partnership efforts to recover this endangered native species in southern California.  Recovery actions include the restoration of the butterfly’s habitat by the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy at Friendship Park, and captive-rearing at Defense Fuel Support Point San Pedro and The Urban Wildlands Group and America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College.

 

Who:               Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe; Russ Guiney, Director, L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation; Bonnie Lowenthal, State Assembly Person for the 54^th District; Dr. Eric Porter, Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Dr. Jana Johnson, Moorpark College professor, who will be releasing the butterflies.

 

When:             Saturday, March 6, 2010
8:30 a.m.  (rain or shine)

                       

Where:           Deane Dana Friendship Community Regional Park and Nature Center, 1805 W. 9^th Street, San Pedro, CA 90732.  Admission is FREE.  (In the event of rain, the butterflies will not be released but will be available on display inside the Nature Center. The celebration ceremony will occur inside the Nature Center. ) 

Contact:         Joyce Fitzpatrick, Public Information Assistant, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (626) 673-0673;

                        Imee Perius, Public Information Officer, Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation (213) 216-6350; 

                        Stephanie Weagley, Public Affairs, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (760)-431-9440                      

 

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