B5 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 3, 2019 Endangered list sought for rare fi refl y By RANDALL CHASE Associated Press B ETHANY BEACH, Del. — Peering through the dark- ness under the faint light of a peach-colored moon, wildlife biologist Jason Davis spots a telltale green fl ash in the bushes. Quick as a fl ash himself, Davis arcs a long-handled mesh net through the humid coastal air, ensnaring his tiny target. Ignoring the mosquitoes, Davis heads to the open bed of his pickup truck, opens up a notebook-size metal testing kit and begins examining his fi nd. Two minutes later, he makes his pronouncement. “That is what I am calling bethanien- sis,” he declares. “Photuris bethaniensis,” aka the Bethany Beach Firefl y, was fi rst iden- tifi ed in the 1950s and has been found only in a sliver of southern Delaware coastland. Now environmental groups are shining a beacon on the luminescent beetle, whose unique habitat is threat- ened by coastal development, sea level rise, invasive plants and insecticides. The Center for Biological Diversity and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, both based in Oregon, are pushing for the federal Endangered Species list to include its fi rst fi refl y. Their petition to the U.S. Depart- ment of Interior says the Bethany Beach Firefl y “is at immediate risk of extinc- tion” from the “imminent destruction” of much of its habitat, noting plans to build expensive beach homes in one of the largest of the rare freshwater swales where the fi refl y has been found. The swales are shallow depressions tucked among sand dunes and fed by under- ground aquifers and rain water. The Bethany Beach Firefl y is already on Delaware’s endangered species list, but that only it makes it illegal to trans- port, possess or sell them. The state has been unable to intervene in the devel- opment project because, unlike other states, Delaware doesn’t regulate most freshwater wetlands, which account for about 75% of all wetlands in Delaware. State environmental secretary Shawn Garvin suggests that should change. “This is just an example of why the state would like to have some ability to engage in these types of projects in nontidal wetlands,” Garvin said. Meanwhile, to avoid having to obtain a federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge or fi ll in the wetland, the developer of the Christopher M. Heckscher A rare Bethany Beach Firefl y in Dover, Del. AP Photo/Gary Emeigh An aerial photo in Bethany Beach, Del., shows a wooden road built on pilings in one of the freshwater wetlands in coastal Delaware where the Bethany Beach Firefl y, which some environmentalists want added to the federal Endangered Species List, has been previously found. ‘NO ONE KNEW IF IT WAS STILL AROUND OR HOW COMMON IT WAS AT ALL, PRETTY MUCH BECAUSE NO ONE HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR IT.’ Christopher Heckscher | environmental scientist who ‘rediscovered’ the Bethany Beach Firefl y in the late 1990s Breakwater Beach project has built an elaborate elevated wooden cul-de-sac on pilings in anticipation of building the homes, also perched on pilings. “That fi refl y was at the top of my list to do a petition for fi refl ies,” said Tara Cornelisse, a scientist with the Cen- ter for Biological Diversity. “But when we were certain about the development going on in one of its habitats, that’s when we elevated it to an emergency listing.” Immediate federal protection is unlikely, and the developer is moving forward with construction. A petitioner can request an emergency listing, but federal law does not provide for a sep- arate emergency process. Guidelines call for a decision within 90 days on whether a yearlong review is merited to determine whether action is warranted. Actually getting listed can take much longer still: “I think the average is 12 years,” Cornelisse said. The petition says the Breakwater Beach development is destroying one of only seven freshwater swales where the fi refl y was previously found. “They were superabundant in that one spot,” said Christopher Heckscher, an environmental scientist at Delaware State University who “rediscovered” the Bethany Beach Firefl y in the late 1990s. A lawyer for the developer ques- tioned the petition’s timing and said it relies on limited data from two decades ago. “Breakcap LLC has no reason to believe that any fi refl ies live in or along the interdunal swale within Breakwater Beach, let alone that Breakwater Beach is critical habitat for any species,” attorney Francis X. Gorman wrote in an email. “It is curious that they are now — only after Breakcap LLC has obtained all required legal approvals to con- struct Breakwater Beach — seeking to have the Bethany Beach fi refl y listed as a federally-endangered species, not- withstanding the admitted decadeslong understanding of the fi refl y’s alleged limited range,” Gorman added. Davis, a biologist with Delaware’s environmental department, began a survey in late June. He said his team caught and released about a dozen Bethany Beach fi refl ies at four of the fi rst 20-odd sites they checked. “I’m optimistic that we’ll hope- fully fi nd some more,” said Davis, who hopes to survey at least 40 freshwa- ter swales. He’s been limited to state coastal parks, because no private prop- erty owner has given him permission to survey their land. “Photuris bethaniensis” wasn’t con- sidered a separate species until Frank Alexander McDermott, a DuPont chemist with a lifelong fascination with fi refl ies, published his fi ndings in the Smithsonian Institution’s “Proceedings of the United States National Museum” in 1953. He described a beetle with a distinct “double greenish fl ash” he fi rst spotted at the north end of Bethany Beach in 1949. It took him several more years to capture enough specimens to make a scientifi c determination. Few paid much attention to the fi refl y thereafter, until Heckscher began a three-year sur- vey in 1998. “No one knew if it was still around or how common it was at all, pretty much because no one had been looking for it,” said Heckscher, who found the fi refl y at seven of 18 swales he visited. Davis said he had planned his survey before the federal petition was fi led. Establishing that the fi refl y still exists is “very important,” he said. “I feel like the more we learn, the more questions we have.” THE ASTORIAN CALL TODAY to place your ad 503-325-3211 or 800-781-3214 Email: classifieds@dailyastorian.com Web: www.dailyastorian.com THE DEADLINE FOR CLASSIFIED ADS is noon the day before your ad is scheduled to run All classifieds require pre-payment A small town newspaper with a global outlook One of the Pacific Northwest’s great small newspapers www.dailyastorian.com CLASSIFIEDINDEX Classified NOTICES MARINE RENTALS Special Notices ............................. 104 Boats for Sale................................. 251 Public Notices ............................... 107 Boating Parts & Accessories ..... 254 Announcements .......................... 110 Boats Wanted ................................ 257 Boat Trailers ................................... 260 PERSONALS Marine Supplies & Equip. .......... 266 Lost & Found ................................. 181 Boat/RV Storage ........................... 269 Personals ........................................ 184 Fund-raisers ................................... 188 RVs & Trailers RVs & Travel Trailers ............ 301-307 AUTOMOTIVE Campers, Utility Trailers .... 310-313 Antiques/Classic Vehicles ......... 201 Automobiles .................................. 204 REAL ESTATE SUVs/Trucks .......................... 207-210 Open Houses ................................. 501 4WD .................................................. 213 For Sale ................................... 504-513 Vans .................................................. 216 Lots & Acreage .............................. 516 ATVs/Motorcycles ........................ 219 Income Property .......................... 519 Truck/Auto Parts .......................... 222 Manufactured Homes ................ 522 Detailing ......................................... 225 Commercial Property ................. 525 Tires & Wheels ............................... 228 Real Estate Wanted ..................... 531 181 Lost & Found 181 Lost & Found Properties for Rent ............. 601-613 Rooms & Roommates................. 616 Commercial Rental ...................... 619 Vacation Rentals .......................... 622 Storage Space ............................... 628 Wanted to Rent ............................ 634 RV/Mobile Home Space ............ 637 PETS/LIVESTOCK Animal Boarding .......................... 701 Feed-Hay-Grain ............................ 704 Pets & Supplies ............................. 710 Horses & Tack ................................ 713 If it doesn’t sell in two weeks, we’ll give you 2 WEEKS FREE MISCELLANEOUS Fuel, Heating & Firewood ......... 807 Furniture & HH Goods ................ 810 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES TV & Electronics ........................... 811 Business Opportunities ............. 643 Antiques & Collectibles ............. 813 Business for Sale .......................... 644 Jewelry ............................................ 814 Arts & Crafts ................................... 816 HELP WANTED Help Wanted .................................. 651 APPLIANCES & EQUIP. 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