ABSTRACT
The effort to conserve the Karner blue butterfly in New York State illustrates many of the problems associated with protecting a rare, nongame species found in a suburban setting. The diversity of landowners and land uses throughout the range of Karner blues in New York necessitates careful planning and coordination of habitat management to preserve the butterfly. Locations of subpopulations move about the landscape in response to environmental change. The creation of the Albany Pine Bush Commission has been critical to the success of Karner blue management because there is a need to regulate land use and establish a broader perspective than any 1 landowner can have. Considering the short time since Karner blue butterflies in New York have been acknowledged as needing protection and management, many advances have been made in understanding the biology and ecology of the species.
