Dear RCC Supporter,

Monarchs were particularly meaningful to Rachel Carson, who watched the butterflies’ migration with her close friend Dorothy Freeman. Knowing she was dying from breast cancer, Rachel wrote to Dorothy, “but most of all, I shall remember the monarchs.”

Over the past two decades, Monarch numbers in North America have radically declined, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to join Tribes, state agencies, other federal agencies and non-government groups to identify threats to the Monarch and take steps to conserve monarchs throughout their range.

Monarch butterflies are known for their impressive long-distance migration and large clusters they form while overwintering in Mexico and coastal California. Once abundant, Monarch butterfly populations have been steadily declining since the mid-1990s.

According to the most recent Monarch Species Status Assessment, by 2080 the probability of extinction for eastern Monarchs ranges from 56 to 74% and the probability of extinction for western Monarchs is greater than 95%. Threats to the species include the loss and degradation of breeding, migratory and overwintering habitat, exposure to insecticides and the effects of climate change.

Monarchs are currently not protected under the Endangered Species Act!

The USFWS is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to list the Monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The listing proposal is accompanied by a proposed critical habitat designation for the species at its overwintering grounds in coastal California and a proposed 4(d) rule that offers species-specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation.

Make your voice heard and submit a comment on the USFWS website that you want them to protect this iconic butterfly.