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By Emmy Ulmschneider and Debbie Roland, Master Gardeners
Previously, in our Monarch butterfly articles, we mentioned that the final decision to list Monarchs as an endangered species would be made in December 2024. (See
And on December 10, 2024, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) proposed listing the Monarch as threatened. This is part of the process that was initiated a decade ago by the late Dr. Lincoln Brower, a Monarch researcher and conservationist. The next step in this process involves the public. The FWS is seeking public input and comments on their proposal until March 12, 2025. They will evaluate these comments and other information to determine a final recommendation for listing the Monarch as a threatened species. So, what does this mean and what is important to consider? The process of listing a species includes public information meetings, public hearings, and recommendations for how we can all participate in a wide range of conservation efforts. For more information about the proposal, what efforts we can all take, and a link to commonly asked questions and their answers see https://www.fws.gov/monarch You might even want to register for one of the two virtual meetings in January.
One of the key components of the proposal is to ensure that Monarchs have high quality habitat throughout their breeding and migratory routes. As you may remember, there are two populations of migratory Monarchs in the United States: The western migratory populations which overwinters in several sites in coastal California and the eastern migratory population which comes through Texas on the way to and from their overwintering site in Mexico. Critical habitat designation is being proposed for the western migratory population only. (See https://www.fws.gov/media/threatened-species-status-section-4d-rule-monarch-butterfly-and-designation-critical-habitat
Our eastern migratory Monarchs overwinter in Mexico. They do however migrate though the United States on their way to breeding habitats. Their route north in the spring and south in the fall changes from year to year depending on conditions. The FWS is NOT proposing critical habitat designation for migratory or breeding habitat for the eastern Monarch population as these habitats vary widely from year to year depending on the migrations route. What they are proposing is a broad range of voluntary conservation measures that are aimed at federal, tribal, agriculture, rights of way, home gardeners, education, and science. So virtually everyone from school kids to adults can get involved. For more information, examples, and concrete steps see https://www.fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/monarchs/help
For most of us this means being involved with improving our home habitat or participating in an education or science project. We have previously written about ways to improve the quality of home landscaping and highlighted some of the Monarch projects you can become involved in.
So, get educated and act before it is too late to pass on this iconic species to your children and grandchildren. Check out the ways you can become involved as an individual in your own home garden or participate in a local or national education or research activity.
If you have questions, call the AgriLife office in Odessa at 498-4071 or in Midland at 686-4700. Additional information, and our blog for access to past articles, is available at westtexasgardening.org. Click on “Resources”.
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