Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly Protected Habitat Doubles

The greenest celebration on Earth Day revolved around the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly and the announcement that the critical habitat supporting America’s sole endangered dragonfly species would more than double in size. As a result of a settlement between environmental groups and the US Fish & Wildlife Service, the dragonflies have expanded protection in Michigan’s Hiawatha National Forest and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. The new critical habitat rule ups the area of protection from 13,000 to 26,000 acres and adds some new areas in Wisconsin’s Door County.

“These gorgeous insects used to be found throughout the Midwest,” said Andrew Wetzler, director of the Wildlife Conservation Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “We’ve lost so much of their habitat. And once the wetlands that support these dragonflies are gone, they are gone forever.”

“We are proud to have been a partner in this long effort to protect the beautiful Hines Emerald Dragonfly here in Wisconsin and throughout the habitat region,” said Door County Environmental Council executive director Jerry Viste. “This has been a long effort since the beginning of the awareness of this tiny creature in our area of Wisconsin and we appreciate the efforts that have been committed on its behalf.”