Growing Returns

Selected tag(s): milkweed conservation

From testing to launch: A new program for monarchs takes flight

By Audrey Archer / Bio / Published: June 30, 2017

Audrey applies the Habitat Quantification Tool to a potential restoration site, counting the number of milkweed and wildflower stems within a transect.

This spring, my colleagues and I visited three ranches in Texas to begin piloting the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Exchange, an emerging program that will help agricultural landowners contribute to monarch recovery.

Elm Ridge Ranch, Wagley Ranch and Shield Ranch will be among the first restoration projects conducted this year to improve ranchlands and create valuable monarch habitat. We will continue to work closely with these landowners to hone the program and ensure it works for monarchs, pollinators and people alike.

Already, we’ve had the opportunity to gain valuable insights, including how to improve habitat quantification and how to inspire enrollment.

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged ecosystems, Elm Ridge Ranch, farms, habitat exchange, habitat quantification tool, monarch butterfly, monarch butterfly habitat exchange, monarch butterfly population, pollinators, ranches, Shield Ranch, Texas, Wagley Ranch | Read 3 Responses

Why two California farms give me hope for the monarch butterfly

By David Wolfe / Bio / Published: July 18, 2016

A monarch caterpillar eats showy milkweed at Davis Ranch in Colusa, California.

The western population of monarch butterflies is in steep decline, according to a recent study released by the Xerces Society, having fallen 74 percent in the past two decades, from roughly 1.2 million in 1997 to fewer than 300,000 butterflies in 2015.

Studies have documented the drop in eastern populations over the past several years, but this is the first time we’ve been able to understand the risks to the western population, which resides west of the Rocky Mountains.

The population is struggling because of development around the forested groves where they spend winters along the California coast and in Mexico, and because of pesticide applications that kill vital milkweed habitat. These threats and the population decline are significant, having the potential to influence a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision in coming years if the situation fails to turn around soon.

I’ve feared for many years that the monarch might reach the point that it will require protections under the Endangered Species Act – a last resort that signals a dire state for the iconic and beloved species. But a recent trip to California gave me great hope that it’s not too late to change the monarch’s trajectory. Read More »

Posted in Habitat Exchange, Wildlife Protection / Also tagged california, California monarchs, central valley habitat exchange, conservation, david wolfe, Davis Ranches, ecosystems, habitat exchange, habitat quality, Hedgerow Farms, Karen Oberhauser, milkweed, monarch butterfly, monarch butterfly population, Monarch Lab, population decline, sustainable agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University of Minnesota | Read 10 Responses