Marin Monarch Working Group
Western monarch butterflies used to be a common sight in Marin. But the number of monarchs in Marin has declined by 99% since the 1980s.
Causes of this decline include climate change, habitat loss, parasites, and pesticide use.
It’s not to late to act…but the time to act is now!
Latest news about the monarchs’ welfare in California….
This winter’s Western Monarch Count found just 9,119 monarchs at overwintering sites along the West coast. This is the second-lowest number recorded since 1997.
While relatively few monarchs arrived at the overwintering sites, even fewer survived the winter. Loss of habitat and severe weather took a serious toll. Here are two things you can do to help them come back from the brink…
One: Create a monarch habitat with native milkweed and nectar plants in your yard, or work with a group that is creating habitat in agricultural or open spaces (see
Two: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to list monarch butterflies as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The USFWS is accepting comments from the public prior to deciding whether or not to implement the proposal. Click here to tell USFWS you support this proposal to increase the protection for this iconic species. The deadline has been extended to May 19!
Make your voice heard!
Meta-analysis finds world wide effects of human action on biodiversity in every ecosystem…
A recent analysis of data from over 2,000 studies found significant effects on biodiversity from five drivers of decline: habitat change, direct exploitation of resources (such as hunting or fishing), climate change, invasive species, and pollution.
The researchers, most of them ecologists based at the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, found that these human pressures shifted where species lived, and decreased the local diversity of species.
The data included terrestrial, freshwater, and marine habitats, and focused on all types of organisms from microbes to mammals.
Overall, the number of species living in human-impacted sites was almost 20% lower than at sites unaffected by humans. Pollution and habitat change, often driven by agriculture, were found to have a particularly negative impact on diversity.
This research was published in the March 26 issue of Nature Magazine in an article titled “The Global Human Impact on Biodiversity.”
Who We Are
The Marin Monarch Working Group was established in 2019 to address the existential crisis facing the western monarch, one of California’s most iconic creatures. Our group of volunteers includes educators and advocates, county officials, biologists and botanists, agricultural advisors, gardeners, and monarch lovers. We rely on donations to purchase materials needed for habitat restoration, such as native plants, as well as to cover the cost of disseminating information and organizing public action. MMWG is fiscally sponsored by Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Public Education
We disseminate science-based information.
Advocacy
We advocate for policies and practices that promote monarch welfare.
Monitoring
We support community science efforts to monitor monarch welfare.
Habitat Restoration
We create and restore monarch habitats in open and public spaces.
Join our mailing list
Those on the mailing list receive an email invitation to attend our monthly MMWG zoom meetings, where we share updates and plan actions to protect the monarch and its habitat.
Please consider making a donation
Your donations will be used to support the advocacy, education, and habitat restoration efforts of our volunteers.
Prefer to donate by check? Make your check out to Turtle Island Restoration Network/MMWG and send it to TIRM, Attn. Audrey Fusco, PO Box 370, Forest Knolls, CA 94933.
Thank you!!
MMWG is fiscally sponsored by Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN 91-1818080