This week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposal to list monarch butterflies as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and designate critical habitat at their overwintering grounds in California. Why? Because monarch populations are in precipitous decline, dropping by ~95% since the 1980’s.

Monarch butterflies are a migratory butterfly that fly long distances between summering and overwintering grounds, over multiple generations. We have Western monarch butterflies here in Central Oregon and they migrate through every spring, headed as far north as British Columbia. Then in the fall, we see subsequent generations passing back through as they head south to coastal California to overwinter. Regardless of the generation, all monarchs require milkweed on which to lay their eggs and feed their young caterpillars.

Unfortunately, due to habitat loss, climate change, and increased pesticide use, monarch butterflies are struggling to survive. That’s why the Land Trust has been working since 2019 to help boost Western monarch butterfly habitat at our protected lands and throughout local communities in Central Oregon. Our goal is to protect and restore monarch habitat by planting the native milkweed and the pollinator plants they need to thrive. This includes distributing more than 146,000 milkweed seeds to our local communities over the past several years, so they can create their own milkweed patch for monarchs.

The recent proposed listing provides another way to help monarch butterflies and kicks off a 90-day comment period. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, listing monarch butterflies would help protect overwintering habitat in coastal California, improve monitoring, increase research, and create incentives for private landowners to help with conservation. During the comment and review period, nothing changes and monarch butterflies continue as they are today with no federal protections. Learn more about the proposal.

Why threatened and not endangered? Threatened species are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future if not afforded protection, whereas endangered species are already in danger of extinction. Listed species will sometimes flip flop between the two designations, depending on their populations status. If the monarch ends up getting listed as threatened, it will become one of the most wide-ranging species ever to be listed!

What can you do to help?

• Plant native milkweed! Central Oregon has two types of native milkweed--narrowleaf and showy. If you don’t have a yard, that’s ok! Plant in container pots and/or at your local community garden.
• Don’t use pesticides! Butterflies (and other pollinators) are incredibly vulnerable to pesticides.
• Be a conscious consumer and do what you can to help mitigate climate change.
• Join the Land Trust! We are committed to doing our part to help Western monarchs. Help with these projects or become a member of the Land Trust today!
• Become a Community Scientist. Report your monarch and milkweed sightings on Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper.

Learn more:

• The Land Trust's Monarch Conservation Efforts
• The Magic of Milkweed
• The Land Trust's Monarch and Pollinator Hub