February 11, 2026 Meeting

Fender’s Blue Butterfly: Recovery Efforts in and near the
West Eugene Wetlands

with Sophie Linden and Christine Calhoun

 7:15-9:00 p.m., presentation 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Main Hall, Hilyard Community Center, 2580 Hilyard St, Eugene (map)

Fender’s Blue by Chris Calhoun

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), an international non-profit conservation organization, has been instrumental in conservation and management projects in the southern Willamette Valley for nearly four decades. TNC is dedicated to implementing science-based management to protect and enhance native plant and animal populations. Willow Creek Preserve is one of the largest Fender’s Blue butterfly meta-populations in the Eugene Recovery Zone. Fender’s surveys conducted over the past decade indicate a variable but positive population trend.  In this presentation, Sophie Linden will review current population trends at Willow Creek Preserve and provide an overview of stewardship efforts in relation to Fender’s recovery.

The BLM has been engaged in the recovery of the Fender’s Blue butterfly since the early 2000’s and has monitored the species since the early 1990s. Currently, the BLM manages four sites that support populations of the butterfly and its host plant, Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus oreganus).  To restore the rare and critical habitats these butterflies depend on, the BLM has used a variety of restoration tools. These include manual and mechanical removal of non-native species, prescribed burning, herbicide treatments, and the planting and seeding of native plants.  This presentation by Christine Calhoun will provide an overview of the BLM’s past restoration efforts as well as our future plans to continue improving habitat conditions and increasing population numbers for this threatened species.

Sophie Linden is the Willamette Basin Steward for The Nature Conservancy and works on TNC lands in the south Willamette Valley. As steward, Sophie brings a background in botany and plant ecology and has worked in the Willamette Valley for the better part of 10 years.

Christine Calhoun has nearly two decades of experience working in restoration ecology, rare species monitoring, and conservation planning in the West Eugene Wetlands. She has worked for organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the City of Eugene, Institute for Applied Ecology, and most recently the Bureau of Land Management. She has been conducting surveys for Fender’s Blue Butterflies on BLM owned lands since 2011.