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US Fish & Wildlife Service - Journal Entry Silvio O. Conte NFWR Volunteers Restore Puritan Tiger Beetle Habitat Region 5, April 20, 2005 Volunteers restored important larval habitat for the Federally Threatened Puritan tiger beetle by removing excessive vegetation along the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. The vegetation is building up because of a lack of springtime ice scour, a natural process that no longer occurs because of dams. Too much vegetation shades larval burrows and changes soil composition, making it unsuitable for the globally rare Puritan tiger beetle. This beetle is found in only two places in New England, both along the Connecticut River, and on part of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Volunteers in Massachusetts successfully restored nearly all of the available larval habitat by removing vegetation, but the process will need to continue throughout the summer in order to be effective. Contact Info: Jennifer Lapis, (413) 253-8303, jennifer_lapis@fws.gov