Dear Friend,

Monarch butterflies have begun their 3,000-mile biannual migration.1

As the eastern monarchs fly south toward the Sierra Madre range in central Mexico, the butterflies will encounter a variety of challenges. They include global warming, the proliferation of toxic pesticides, and the loss of milkweed, monarchs' main food source.2

We're committed to helping monarch butterflies along this journey and the ones to come -- but we can't do it without your help.

That's why generous donors will match gifts to Environment Colorado's Fall 2021 Drive, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 nationwide. Donate before midnight tonight to double your impact.

Few natural phenomena are as mesmerizing as millions of monarchs migrating through the skies. For the sake of future generations, our environment and the monarchs themselves, it's imperative we save these butterflies. Here's just some of the work your gift will support:

• Securing Endangered Species Act protections for monarchs. Monarchs don't have any time to lose. That's why we're calling on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to use her emergency powers to give monarchs the endangered species protections they desperately need. And in just the past week, more than 10,000 supporters like you have joined our call. Donate now >>

• Banning the worst uses of toxic pesticides. Neonicotinoids, or neonics, are a class of pesticides particularly harmful to monarchs and other pollinators. They're one of the most widely used pesticides in the world, and often drift onto other plants, including milkweed.3 To protect foraging and nesting butterflies, we're advocating for a ban on the worst uses of neonics. Donate now >>

• Planting native milkweed. Milkweed is vital for the monarch's life cycle. It's the only plant monarch caterpillars eat. These caterpillars hatch from eggs laid on the plant before consuming its leaves. To ensure monarchs have the milkweed they need, we're encouraging governors across the country to plant native milkweed on public lands. We've also published a citizen guide to planting a pollinator-friendly garden with milkweed. Donate now >>

• Fighting climate change. Warming temperatures could be affecting cues that signal to monarchs when to begin their migration.4 To stave off the worst impacts of climate change, we're promoting carbon-free transportation, reducing power plant pollution, preserving forests that serve as carbon sinks, and more. These campaigns are critical not only to protecting butterflies, but also to ensuring a safer, healthier future for all of us. Donate now >>

All these efforts require critical resources. Will you help ensure we have the support we need to ramp up our efforts to save the monarchs?

Yes, I'll donate to Environment Colorado's Fall 2021 Drive and have my gift matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 nationwide.

Thank you for all you do,

Rex Wilmouth
Senior Program Director

1. Joe Millitzer, "Monarch migration maps: Tracking the butterfly's journey south," Fox2Now, September 9, 2021.
2. Joshua Hammer, "An Epic Monarch Migration Faces New Threats," Smithsonian Magazine, May 2021.
3. Bob Weber, "Monarch butterflies harmed by common neonic pesticides, study suggests," The Canadian Press, May 13, 2021.
4. Joshua Hammer, "An Epic Monarch Migration Faces New Threats," Smithsonian Magazine, May 2021.

Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.