# 2024-31761: Feds Rush to Save Nevada Butterfly With Unfortunate Name

2024-31761, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the Bleached Sandhill Skipper, is a Federal Register proposed rule from an unnamed agency published 2025-01-08, effective Proposed rule published January 8, 2025; the Service will accept comments received or postmarked on or before March 10, 2025; requests for a public hearing must be received by February 24, 2025. (as of 2026-06-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31761
- As of: 2026-06-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2024-31761
- Title: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the Bleached Sandhill Skipper
- Type: Proposed Rule
- Agencies: unknown
- Citation: unknown
- Published: 2025-01-08
- Effective: Proposed rule published January 8, 2025; the Service will accept comments received or postmarked on or before March 10, 2025; requests for a public hearing must be received by February 24, 2025.
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-11

## In one line

Feds Rush to Save Nevada Butterfly With Unfortunate Name

## Summary

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to officially protect the bleached sandhill skipper, a rare butterfly found in Humboldt County, Nevada, by listing it as endangered. This means the butterfly will get special protections to help it survive. People can share their thoughts on this plan until March 10, 2025, and a public hearing can be requested by February 24, 2025.

## Abstract

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the bleached sandhill skipper (Polites sabuleti sinemaculata), an insect subspecies from Humboldt County, Nevada, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This determination also serves as our 12-month finding on a petition to list the bleached sandhill skipper. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial information, we find that listing the subspecies is warranted. Accordingly, we propose to list the bleached sandhill skipper as an endangered species under the Act. If we finalize this rule as proposed, the final rule would add this subspecies to the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and extend the Act's protections to the subspecies. We find that a designation of critical habitat for the bleached sandhill skipper is not determinable at this time.

## Effects PRIA read

- Bleached Sandhill Skipper Proposed as Endangered: benefit, low. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to list the bleached sandhill skipper (a butterfly in Humboldt County, Nevada) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. If finalized, the subspecies would be added to the federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and the Act's p…
- Critical Habitat Not Determinable Now: mixed, low. The Service states that designation of critical habitat for the bleached sandhill skipper is "not determinable" at this time while it obtains necessary economic information. Under the Act, the Service may take up to one additional year to publish a proposed critical habitat designation.
- Listing Cites Climate and Groundwater Pumping Threats: mixed, medium. The proposed rule identifies the primary threats to the subspecies as increased warming and drying from climate change and groundwater pumping. The rule states that Gridley Lake Valley groundwater basin is currently appropriated and pumped above perennial yield, and Continental Lake Valley is close…

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## Sources
- [2024-31761 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/08/2024-31761/endangered-and-threatened-wildlife-and-plants-endangered-species-status-for-the-bleached-sandhill)
- [2024-31761 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-08/pdf/2024-31761.pdf)

## Related
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31761 (as of 2026-06-11).