Karner Blue, Where R U?

Altoona High School Student Derek Scheider was awarded a state grant to answer that question.

By Eric Widholm
Leader-Telegram staff

State awaits student's work

In an open, sandy area along a rural roadside just northeast of Eau Claire, Derek Scheider begins another search for caterpillars and butterflies.

    The 14-year-old Altoona High School freshman doesn't come armed with a homemade butterfly net and jar to capture and keep the insects like he did as a small child.

    In fact, he's doing just the opposite; he's there to ensure these insects survive.

    Derek, 1730 Beulah Lane, is spending part of his summer researching the habitat and populations of the endangered Karner blue butterfly in the Chipewa Valley.

    Derek was awarded a $500 grant in May by the Wisconsin Center for Academically Talented Youth for his project proposal, "Karner Blue, Where Are You?"

    WCATY gives students grants to pursue independent projects over the summer months with the guidance of a mentor to reward students' academic achievements.

    "The proposal was great. it's phenomenal that Derek even wrote that grant-- and got it," said his mentor and Altoona Middle School science teacher Scott Theil.

    Derek's interest in butterflies dates back to when he was just a toddler. He collected "common" butterflies such as monarchs and household moths.

    "Ever since I was little, I was really interested (in endangered species)," Derek said. "I like trying to preserve them."

    His mother, Debra, encouraged his hoby, buying kits and magazines to organize and store his collected critters.

    "Derek is just fascinated with any wildlife aspect," she said. "He just really appreciates nature."

    "I always encouraged (Derek and his brother, Brandon) to have pets. I don't have fear of nature like a lot of

people. (Derek) just got a real interest in bugs."

    So, it would seem, does Debra, who accompanies her son on nearly every search. Her son's ambition makes her proud, she said. In the past few hunts for Karner blues, the Scheider duo both said they've seen several adult butterflies.

    "It's kind of neat coming out here and just looking for that stuff," he said. "(The butterflies) just sit there and lick salt off your arms."

    Derek surveys 10 active sites every two to three days in the Chippewa Valley. He started in late May.

    The Karner blue was put on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services's federal endangered species list in December 1992 because its numbers are decreasing across the northeastern United States said Cathy Bleser, a butterfly expert with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Endangered Species Bureau. To be endangered means extinction is possible.

    Karner blue exist in portions of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York, but the highest population of butterflies is in Wisconsin.

    If the Karner blue's numbers in other states were similar to Wisconsin's total, there would be a much better outlook for the butterfly, said Cathy Carnes, endangered species coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Green Bay.

    "It's on the edge everywhere else," she said.

    The low numbers are primarily because development has destroyed large amounts of the wild lupine plants -- the butterflies' essential lifeline -- in many parts of the country, Bleser said.

    This concerns wildlife biologists because the karner blue is not just a very hungry caterpillar; it's a picky eater to boot.

    The Karner blue feeds only on wild lupine during developing stages. Adult butterflies lay eggs only underneath wild lupine pods, Thiel said.

    Local hikers take a toll on the wild lupine, picking its flowers to display in their homes, Debra said.

    "These people going out to dig up these wildflowers are

really hurting (the butterflies,)" she said. "I don't think they're aware of what they're doing."

    Wild lupine, a member of the legume family, has pods like a pea plant. It is found in barren areas with sandy soils at the outskirts of scrubby woodlands.

    "(The butterfly) has to feed on the lupine," Thiel said. "We do know that it is absolutely critical for the survival of this butterfly."

    Right now the lupine in Wisconsin remains strong, as some of Derek's studies are showing.

    But with future development of land in the Chippewa Valley, it could become a problem, Thiel said.

    Derek's main project is due Sept. 15. it includes specific reports on life history, life stages and host plants for the butterfly.

    With a national perspective in mind, Derek said he hopes to educate the public and aid agencies that will use his research, such as the DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    Carnes and Bleser said they would like a copy of Derek's research.

    "We can use all the help we can get," Carnes said.

    As far as future grant proposals, Derek said he hasn't thought about that yet. He also hasn't decided if wildlife biology is the career for him.

    That doesn't surprise his mother, who wants Derek to remain a normal 14-year-old boy and keep up his participation in baseball, basketball, and karate tournaments.

    "He'll always have (this research) as a hobby," Debra said. "He's now 14 1/2, and he's been doing this since he was 2. I'm sure if there's a job out there that includes this, he will take it."

    Derek's spirit toward this project should serve as an example to kids his age, said Thiel, a wildlife biologist who also is doing research on two endangered Wisconsin turtles. These projects are fun, educational and rewarding, he said.

    "(Derek) wanted to do it. He just wouldn't take no for an answer," Thiel said.