Dear John,
In the last 20 years, monarch butterflies have declined by 90%. If we don’t act now, they will go extinct.
This decline is largely due to the massive increase in the use of toxic pesticides like glyphosate -- a.k.a. Monsanto’s Roundup®. Roundup® wipes out milkweed, the only food young monarchs eat.
Friends of the Earth isn’t about to let monarchs vanish on our watch. But we’re going to need your help. If 75% of the people reading this donate before midnight, we'll reach our fundraising goal and we'll be one step closer to saving monarchs!
Stop Monsanto from wiping out the monarchs: Donate $10 or more NOW!
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In the 1980s, approximately 4.5 million butterflies spent the winter along the California coast. This year there were only around 30,000. Unless we act fast, we could lose this iconic species forever.
The driving forces in their decline are habitat loss and the increased use of Roundup®. It’s a simple formula: More Roundup® = less milkweed = fewer monarchs.
The Fish and Wildlife Service could help turn this around. The agency -- which oversees Endangered Species protections -- could provide monarchs with additional protections that go well beyond those offered under the Endangered Species Act. It could hold the fossil fuel and transportation industries accountable for destroying monarch habitats. And the EPA could ban the use of pesticides like Roundup® that imperil monarchs.
The problem is, the Fish and Wildlife Service is facing pressure from Donald Trump and his cronies in the pesticide industry to do nothing. That’s why it’s so important that you join us in fighting back. It’s going to take every one of us acting NOW if we want to save the monarchs.
Help push the Fish and Wildlife Service to save monarchs from extinction: Donate $10 or more today!
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We’re going up against huge corporations and their powerful cronies in the Trump administration -- a daunting task. But with Friends of the Earth Members like you at our side, I know we can win this fight and save the monarchs from extinction.
We have a comprehensive plan to get toxic pesticides out of our food system and stem insect declines:
- We’ve mobilized people like you to send more than 30,000 public comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service urging it to extend protections for monarch butterflies. At the same time, we’ve been pushing the EPA to ban Roundup® altogether. Thanks to pressure from people like you, the EPA has extended the period for public input on glyphosate.
- We’re supporting a new bill introduced by Representative Velazquez to ban neonicotinoids -- another monarch-harming pesticide -- in wildlife refuges. It’s hard to believe, but the Trump administration has actually allowed these toxic pesticides to be used in our protected wild places. This bill would reverse Trump’s decision and restore this critical monarch and bee habitat.
- We’re working at the state and local levels to protect pollinators from pesticides. This year, New York and Vermont passed bills to ban pollinator-toxic pesticides like neonics and chlorpyrifos, and California announced a new plan to ban chlorpyrifos. We’re continuing work in five other states to pass bills to ban toxic pesticides, including glyphosate. Plus, we’re working with cities to pass policies to ban this and other toxic pesticides.
- We’re pushing food retailers to eliminate pesticides, including glyphosate, from their supply chains. Costco has already announced steps to address pesticide use in the food it carries. Kroger -- the nation’s largest conventional food retailer -- recently updated its pollinator policy to help protect bees and butterflies. But the commitments are non-binding and insufficient. So we’re going to keep pushing these and other leading supermarkets to do better and to increase their organic offerings.
These actions won’t only help monarchs. Bees, butterflies and other insects are dying at alarming rates. Scientists are warning if we don’t stem insect decline, we could soon face the “catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems.” We must greatly reduce our use of pesticides if we are to save these crucial species.
You know that when we work together, we can move mountains. You and I have already transformed the garden industry, including convincing Home Depot, Lowe’s, Costco, True Value, Ace Hardware and Walmart to eliminate bee-killing pesticides in garden plants.
Imagine what we can do for the monarchs! But we’ve got to act fast, before these beautiful and iconic pollinators disappear forever.
Make a generous contribution today and help Friends of the Earth save the monarchs and our food system!
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Standing with you,
Tiffany Finck-Haynes,
Pesticides and pollinators program manager,
Friends of the Earth
