If We Do Nothing...

...monarch butterflies have a 60% likelihood of extinction in 20 years. Once plentiful, their vital food source and habitat, milkweed or Asclepias, is now in serious decline, putting monarchs and other pollinators at extreme risk. In fact, a recent petition proposes adding monarch butterflies to the endangered species list.
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As far back as 1983, concern was rising for the monarch butterfly. That year the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed monarch migration as an endangered phenomenon. And in 2010, monarchs were one of the World Wildlife Fund’s Top 10 to Watch, a list that identifies species in need of close monitoring and protection. 

Monarch Butterflies
​Are in Danger

Each year, monarchs in the eastern US and Canada migrate 3,000 miles to the warmer climate of Mexico, while those in the Rocky Mountains make a shorter trip to California. It is the eastern population that is in the most serious decline. Their overwintering sites have experienced 90% decline in just two decades. Added to that, in March 2016 a freak blizzard swept through their winter haven in Mexico, killing hundreds of thousands of overwintering monarchs.
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Estimates put the population at just 60 million today, down from 1 billion in the mid-90s. For 2015 alone, the entire eastern North American population of monarchs fit into a 2.8 acre area – that’s only 3 football fields

Monarch Habitat
is Disappearing

In just 10 years, nearly 24 million acres were converted from grassland to crop production. Some estimates say 57 million acres of the US Great Plains have been lost since 2009. That grassland was home to monarch butterflies and other pollinators. Without milkweed, the future of the monarch butterfly is bleak. During summer breeding, the monarch requires milkweed sap for nourishment, the milkweed plant to lay eggs on, and monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed leaves. They will eat many of the more than 100 milkweed species in North America on both routes of migration as well. But as more and more milkweed pastures have disappeared, the monarch population decline since 2011 has been particularly dramatic.

Other Wildlife
​is Being Impacted by Habitat Decline

Monarch butterflies aren’t the only ones affected – other wildlife including honey bees, pheasant, geese, quail, deer and more benefit from critical pollinator habitat rebuilding. 
Click Here for More Resources and Information about Monarch Butterflies
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​Monarch Butterflies and Habitat:

Everyone Can Help

  • Donate:  Every dollar raised means more pollinator habitat created.
  • Apply for a project:  Applications are accepted year-round.  
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  • Become a corporate sponsor: With proven results, our NextGen Habitat Projects are making a difference for honey bees, monarch butterflies, and other native pollinators.

Related Articles and Information about Monarch Butterflies

Looking for more information on the plight of monarch butterflies? Here are a few resources to consider. 
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​Rapid City, SD 57701
The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Fund’s habitat programs provide proven pollinator benefits including high-quality forage for honey bees and other pollinators across the entire growing season. Preliminary data shows that NextGen Habitat Projects support some of the highest abundance and diversity of plants preferred by honey bees and other pollinators. “High-quality forage goes hand-in-hand with pollinator health and productivity,” - Dr. Clint Otto, Research Ecologist with the US Geologic Survey.
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