FARGO — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking protection for a beloved species and is asking the public to play a role in its recovery.
The federal agency wants the monarch butterfly listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act, with specific protections and flexibility to encourage conservation, it recently announced. A public comment period on the proposal opened Dec. 12 and will close on March 12, after which time the service will evaluate the input and determine whether to list the monarch.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said by working together, the species will be enjoyed for generations to come.
“The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating lifecycle. Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance,” Williams said in a news release. In North America, monarchs are grouped into two long-distance migratory populations.
The eastern migratory population is the largest and overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico, while the western migratory population primarily overwinters in coastal California, the release said. Since the 1980s and ‘90s, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%, while the western migratory population has declined by more than 95%. Gerald Fauske, an entomology research specialist at North Dakota State University, sai.