Help Save Monarch Butterflies: Petition the FWS
The population of monarch butterflies spending the winter in California is now less than 0.5 percent of its historical size — and this year’s population is down by roughly 86 percent compared to 2017.1
We could lose monarch butterflies if we don’t act soon.
This June, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will decide whether they’ll list monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). That’s why we need to urge them to give monarch butterflies the proven protection of the ESA today.
In the 1980s, about 4.5 million butterflies spent winter along the California coast.
But this year? There were only about 30,000.2
The Endangered Species Act can help monarchs.
The Endangered Species Act has seen incredible success since it was established 46 years ago: 99 percent of the animals listed under the ESA are still with us today.3
Of course, monarch butterflies face threats from all angles — from climate change to pesticides killing their life-sustaining milkweed plants, and more.4 But listing monarchs under the ESA is a critical step toward ensuring this iconic species is around for generations to come.
How You Can Help
In 2014, we sent more than 40,000 petitions to the USFWS asking them to list the monarch butterfly as endangered. And we made important progress — the agency initiated the process to formally evaluate monarchs for protection. Now, we need to see this campaign through to a victory. Add your name today:
1. “Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California,” The Xerces Society, November 29, 2018.
2. Gabrielle Canon, “‘It’s a sad reality’: a troubling trend sees a 97% decline in monarch butterflies,” The Guardian, December 8, 2018.
3. Kevin Anderton, “After 45 Years The Endangered Species Act Continues To Make Progress,” Forbes, April 23, 2018.
4. Peter Fimrite, “More Bad News For Monarch Butterflies — Study Shows Climate Change’s Devastating Effect,” San Francisco Chronicle, July 18, 2018.