Friend,
This past winter, as volunteers lined up to welcome monarchs home to "Butterfly Town," an iconic monarch wintering site in California, they saw an ominous sign of what's to come: Not a single monarch made it home.[1]
Their absence was noted far beyond Butterfly Town: Across the country, only 1,914 western monarchs made it to their winter homes. It was the lowest number ever recorded -- and a far cry from their heyday of 1.2 million western monarchs in the '90s.[2,3]
These butterflies are on the brink of extinction -- but it's not too late to pull them back.
Tell U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use her emergency powers to give monarchs the endangered species protections they deserve.
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Where thousands of monarchs once painted the treetops orange with their bright, vibrant wings, volunteers waited and waited until they saw what could be the beginning of the end for monarchs.
Their disappearance is no mystery. Dangerous pesticides have decimated milkweed plants -- monarch caterpillars' only food source.[4] As a result, monarch caterpillars are weak, hungry and incapable of making it to their first flight.[5]
We've already lost more than 99% of western monarchs and 80% of eastern monarchs. We know the problem. You can be the solution.
Environment Colorado is calling on Interior Secretary Haaland to give monarchs emergency protections under the Endangered Species Act, which has a 99% success rate in saving species. But if we're going to win, we'll need every Environment Colorado supporter to join our call. Stand with us today.
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A single monarch is tiny: The butterfly has just about a three-inch wingspan and it's as light as a paperclip. But when monarchs come together in clusters known as "roosts," spreading their wings and flying together as a flock, their beauty knows no bounds.
As these roosts empty -- or even disappear completely -- we know that every monarch we save makes a difference.
If we win them emergency Endangered Species Act protections, we can protect their main food source, their habitat and their populations. Slowly but surely, endangered species protections can work their magic -- but only if the monarchs actually receive them.
And when we're working to save such a majestic, defenseless species, every voice counts.
Friend, will you add your name to this critical campaign? Sign our petition urging Interior Secretary Haaland to give monarchs the protections they need.
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Thank you,
Rex Wilmouth
Senior Program Director
1. Angelica Cabral, "Environmental activists argue the monarch butterfly needs protection. Could a new state plan help?," The Californian, February 16, 2021.
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2. Angelica Cabral, "Environmental activists argue the monarch butterfly needs protection. Could a new state plan help?," The Californian, February 16, 2021.
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3. John Flesher, "Feds to delay seeking legal protection for monarch butterfly," AP News, December 15, 2020.
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4. Jeanette Marantos, "6 ways Californians can help save the iconic monarch butterfly," Los Angeles Times, February 23, 2021.
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5. Lela Nargi, "These caterpillars aren't just hungry, they're hangry," The Washington Post, December 22, 2020.
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Environment Colorado, Inc.
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