Monarchs Denied Listing Under Endangered Species Act

For the third consecutive year, monarch populations have continued to spiral to an all time low. California coastal counts from winter 2020 estimated less than 2,000 overwintering monarchs on documented sites, a 99.9% decrease from the historic migratory population that once graced California coastlines. Primary reasons for population declines include a decrease in milkweed and nectar sources, habitat fragmentation, loss of overwintering sites, impacts of climate change and widespread use of pesticides. 

Following a review for listing in December 2020 under the Endangered Species Act, USFWS declared that listing of monarchs is indeed “warranted but precluded by higher priority actions.” The US Fish and Wildlife Service has acknowledged that due to lack of resources, they are forced to focus their efforts on higher priority listings. Monarchs have been designated as a “candidate” for listing, which means it will receive an annual review for listing.

Read more about the decision here:

USFWS Decision, December 15, 2020 - Warranted but Precluded

Science Magazine: U.S. agency sidesteps listing monarch butterflies as endangered; By Elizabeth Pennisi, Dec. 15, 2020 , 6:20 PM

National Geographic: Monarch butterflies denied endangered species listing despite shocking decline; By Farah Eltohamy, December 15, 2020

2020 Results- California Monarch Counts

The 2020 Western Monarch Counts for the Overwintering sites in California bring troubling news: less than 2,000 monarch were documented this year, a 99.9% decrease in population from the 1980’s. This likely means a collapse of the migration. But don’t lose hope! In Utah, we are scrambling to plant more milkweed which will be ready if the monarchs return, and will certainly benefit other pollinators that are experiencing similar declines in their populations. For those f you from California, there is an action plan in place to facilitate recovery. Read this blogpost from Xerces Society to see what you can do:

Counts Confirm Continued Decline in Western Monarch Population

Link It Up! Taking It To The Schools

We Have Exciting News!

After great success (and some necessary adjustments) following our Cache Valley 2019 Pilot Study, RAE Environmental Inc. is thrilled to announce the expansion of Western Monarch Pollinator Pathways (WMPP) across the state of Utah! Starting spring 2020, WMPP will launch our state-wide program to assist Utah elementary schools in the establishment of monarch sanctuary habitats, effectively paving a pathway of connectivity along monarch migration routes. In this united effort, we will continue to lead our students and communities by emphasizing the importance of pollinators in our ecosystems and provide much needed outreach opportunities to fuel our next generation of environmental stewards.

Why elementary schools? While parts of Utah are densely populated urban development is focused in two major areas of the state; the Wasatch Front in north central Utah, and Washington Country in southern Utah. This leaves much of the remaining countryside sparsely populated with smaller, remote towns dispersed primarily along major roadways. Despite low populations two things are dependably found within these rural areas: 1. Local Post Offices; 2. Elementary Schools. Establishing monarch habitats on elementary school grounds gives us the unique opportunity to not only inspire a sense of local stewardship in our youngest generation, but advance their scientific and agricultural learning opportunities while instilling a sense of pride in their state and local communities. Additionally (given their geographic nature) establishing or enhancing habitats at these locales provides a relatively uniform distribution of functional habitat available to pollinators throughout the state. This ensures dependable host plant and nectar sources for migrating populations, linking corridors between Utah’s breeding grounds to sacred overwintering habitats.

In light of the recent 2019 Thanksgiving Count Data and Xerces Society’s desperate Call To Action, it has become apparent that the time to act is now. We must pull together and help protect what is left of our western monarch population to ensure that the awe-inspiring migration continues to thrive, benefitting not just us but future generations.

Know a teacher or want to help us spread the word? Here is our a link to our School Outreach Letter, informing teachers and administrators how they can participate in our program.

Utah schools, please help us

Link It Up!

2019 Thanksgiving Count Data is In!

And the numbers say:

29,418

*Less than 1% of the estimated population in the 1980’s

For the second year in a row, monarch overwintering estimates are hovering around an all time low, testing the limits of the estimated extinction threshold and predicting a possible migration crash. In a desperate Call To Action members of Xerces Society, Western Monarch Advocates, Southwest Monarch Study, Monarch Watch, and many others have asked everyone to do the following:

1. Protect and manage California overwintering sites

2. Restore breeding and migratory habitat in California

3. Protect Monarchs and their habitats from pesticides

4. Protect, manage and restore summer breeding and fall migration monarch habitat outside of California

5. Answer key research questions about how to best aid western monarch recovery

Let’s join together and save Western Monarchs. Contact us to see you how you can get involved.

More information on the 2019 Thanksgiving Count Data can be found here:

2019 Western Monarch Count

Additional ways you can help:

Monarchs In Crisis: How You Can Help

Why Milkweed Matters

Milkweed is the ONLY host plant used by monarch caterpillars in the contiguous United States. It is required at their multiple stopover locations along migration routes for the reproductive and larval stages of their lifecycle (egg laying and caterpillar rearing). Monarch butterflies will only lay eggs on milkweed and it is the only plant caterpillars will consume. However, butterflies will utilize a variety of other flowering plants, shrubs and trees for nectar sources, shelter and overwintering.

Many people view milkweed as ugly in landscapes; an eyesore in decorative flowerbeds; a nuisance to crops and agricultural lands. People have gone to great measures to eradicate milkweed from their land using chemicals, mowers, and other methods of removal. Sadly this has resulted in the destruction of monarch habitat across the West. While the reason for monarch population declines are largely undetermined, scientists can say with certainly that there are far fewer habitats available than historical data indicates.

In reality milkweed is an incredibly resilient native plant on which local pollinators, monarchs included, thrive. It is one of the most effective pollinator attractants in the Western US and is necesary for monarch survival. Several varieties make it suitable for almost any region (16 varieties are primarily preferred by monarchs, dependent on elevation and location). Most varieties are drought tolerant, low maintenance and have fragrant summer bloom. It can be planted in ways that enhance any landscape from designer beds to wild fields. By planting local native varieties, we can provide new habitats for the amazing creatures that help our planet grow.

Please consider the importance of milkweed on lands that you love and use your voice to advocate for its existence. Protect established stands. Plant some seeds. Spread the word. Milkweed matters.

Find out more about monarch Habitat Needs (USFS) and other ways you can help Save The Monarchs (USFWS) by participating in your region. Several states west of the Rockies provide regionally specific plant information and valuable resources for milkweed identification and distribution (e.g., Utah). Additionally states are asking for the help of citizen scientist to assist with Monarch Butterly Conservation, Thanksgiving Day Counts and more. Check out your State Websites for additional information.

Milkweed Varieties

There are 108 species of milkweed in North America. Of those, 16 varieties are primarily used by monarchs during their migrations across the Western US. Each of these native, unique species are specialized for their environments and adapted to regionally specific climates. Monarchs seem to prefer certain species at different locations along their 5 generation migration route, providing both forage and reproductive habitats, as well as protection along the way. When ingested by caterpillars, chemicals in the milkweed plant (cardiac glycosides) make monarchs toxic to many predators (read this great article in New York Times if you want more information on how Butterflies Evolved to Eat Poison) While some predators have adapted to overcome this toxicity and will consume monarchs, most tend to avoid them. Below is a list of western milkweed species - organized by region - that monarchs tend to favor. Additional reports and archives can be found on the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper:

Arizona Milkweed Region (AZ):

Antelope Horn Milkweed (Asclepias asperula)

Arizona Milkweed (Asclepias anguvstifolia)

Broadleaf Milkweed (Asclepsias latifolia)

Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

Desert Milkweed (Asclepias erosa)

Engelmann's Milkweed (Asclepias engelmanniana)

Horsetail Milkweed (Asclepias subverticillata)

Mojave Milkweed (Asclepias nyctaginifolia)

Pine-needle Milkweed (Asclepias linaria)

Rush Milkweed (asclepias subulata)

California Milkweed Region (CA):

California Milkweed (Asclepias california)

Desert Milkweed (Asclepias erosa)

Heartleaf Milkweed (Asclepias cordifolia)

Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)

Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Wooly Milkweed (Asclepias vestita)

Wooly Pod Milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa)

South Central Region (OK, TX):

Antelope Horn Milkweed (Asclepias asperula)

Green Antelopehorn Milkweed (Asclepias viridis)

Zizotes Milkweed (Asclepias oenotheroides)

Western Milkweed Region (CO, ID, MT, NM, NE, KS, ND, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY):

Antelope Horn Milkweed (Asclepias asperula)

Broadleaf Milkweed (Asclepias latifolia)

Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis)

Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa)

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)

Whorled Milkweed (asclepias verticillata)

Milkweed Slideshow will be updated as we expand our milkweed photo library!

Western Monarchs Make Headlines

News and headlines regarding the declining population status of western monarchs are ironically abundant. Monarchs are currently under review for protection by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) due to documented declines in their over-wintering population counts, particularly in the Western United States. Given this development, scientists have recently focused their efforts on discovering possible reasons for the decline and what factors might ultimately influence species success.

National Geographic: We’re Losing Monarchs Fast - Here’s Why

The New Yorker: Vanishing Flights Of The Monarch Butterfly

High Country News: The West’s Monarch Migration Is Disappearing

Current Migration News and Counts:

In January 2019, numbers were reported from California’s annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count. In the west, we hit a discouraging record low of 28,429 monarchs from 213 sites, according to the Western Monarch Count Resource Center. This is below the 30,000 “quasi-extinction threshold” predicted to indicate the beginning of a species in peril.

As the 2019 fall migration begins, numbers are just starting to trickle in. Journey North tracks the migration and reports findings for both eastern and western monarch populations in the US. More information on upcoming migration counts should be available soon.