The Western Monarch Count is a community science effort to collect data on western monarchs and their habitat during their overwintering season, when the butterflies are concentrated along the coast.

The Count is managed by the Xerces Society and count co-founder, Mia Monroe, who is also the co-founder of the Marin Monarch Working Group.

According to the results of the Western Monarch Count, the overwintering population in 2024 dropped to only 9,119 monarchs. This is only slightly above the all-time low recorded in 2020.

This year’s number is a sharp decline from that of the past three years. Each year from 2021 through 2023 over 200,000 monarchs were observed.

But as the graph below indicates, even these relatively high numbers are a far cry from the 1,200,000 butterflies recorded in 1997, the year the Western Monarch Count began.

In response to this crisis, there is a dire need for action at the local, state, and national level!

“A lot of people care about monarchs. Voluntary efforts like pollinator gardens and restoring habitat are probably a reason they aren’t in worse shape. However, these actions are not enough. To help monarchs recover, we need to work at a larger scale and address widespread issues like pesticide contamination and climate change that are beyond what voluntary efforts have been able to achieve.” Isis Howard, coordinator of the Western Monarch Count

“Like most butterflies, monarchs are highly sensitive to weather and climate. They depend on environmental cues (temperature in particular) to trigger reproduction, migration, and hibernation. Their dependence on milkweed alone as a host plant is a further vulnerability, particularly as milkweed abundance is declining throughout the monarch range. They also face a decline in their overwintering habitat, and the effects of an increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as drought and severe storms, and extremes in hot and cold temperatures.” World Wildlife Federation

Looking for something you can do right now??

In December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. When finalized, the decision is expected to provide vital support for the species including improved protection for overwintering habitat in California, greater focus by federal agencies on the species, and more incentives for breeding habitat restoration.

The public is encouraged to comment on this proposal by March 15.

The quickest action is signing a letter written by the Xerces Society that also encourages the UFWS to go through with the listing.

Or communicate your views directly the UFWS electronically or by mail: (1) Electronically: Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter FWS–R3–ES–2024–0137, which is the docket number for this rulemaking. Then, click on the Search button. On the resulting page, in the panel on the left side of the screen, under the Document Type heading, check the Proposed Rule box to locate this document. You may submit a comment by clicking on ‘‘Comment.’’

(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R3–ES–2024–0137, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB/3W, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 3803.

Click here to find more information about how to register a comment directly.