The endangered Carson wandering skipper (Pseudocopaeodes eunus obscurus [Austin and Emmel]) survives as a relict species in four major pluvial basins in the western Great Basin of Nevada and California. This Hesperiinae is distinct from other subspecies in the genus, likely resulting from a vicariance event during the Holocene. Surviving in disjunct refugia, this butterfly has highly specialized habitat requirements and feeds only on saltgrass (Distichlis spicata var. stricta [Greene] Thorne) as larvae. Conservation of habitat patches has been highly successful. However, land development and groundwater withdrawal are in high demand surrounding the species' habitat and pose significant impacts on its survival. The species survival or extinction will be dictated by these land uses. Land development may decrease dispersal capabilities, and groundwater withdrawal may cause a vegetation shift resulting in the loss of skipper populations. Recovery will depend on the adaptive management of land uses that conserves current populations and on permits dispersal among the network of habitat patches.