Groups look to preserve rare Ore. butterfly

Xerxes Society and Oregon Wild team up with local butterfly expert to petition for ESA protection for Leona's little blue.

Conservation groups are seeking endangered species protection for a butterfly found only in a six-square mile area of southern Oregon.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Oregon Wild filed a petition Wednesday with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the insect known as Leona's little blue butterfly.

Sarina Jepsen of the Xerces Society says there are only 2,000 of the butterflies left in an area known as the Antelope Desert in northern Klamath County, and they are at high risk for extinction from a wildfire or pesticide spraying.

The petition also raises concerns that the butterfly's habitat, most of which is on private timberland, could be damaged by future logging.