No longer threatened: Elderberry beetle could come off Endangered ...

A bug that's been a bane of Central Valley land developers has been recommended for removal from the Endangered Species List. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Monday recommended the valley elderberry longhorn beetle lose its status as "threatened." The beetle's status forces developers to protect all elderberry bushes in a project area except at a specific time of year. And then, when a plant is removed, several additional elderberries have to be planted elsewhere to replace each one that is lost. As the elderberry is a very common plant, the mitigation can become expensive. The Fish and Wildlife recommendation follows completion of required five-year reviews for 12 species in California. In addition to the beetle, the service recommended delisting of the island night lizard, and downlisting from endangered to threatened for the Smith's blue butterfly, Morro shoulderband snail, least Bells vireo and California least tern.

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