The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is thinking about giving the monarch butterfly, the fancy orange-and-black flyer we all know and love, a “threatened” species badge. That will make it super official.
If you’ve been paying attention to reports, Monarch Butterfly populations have been declining for years and recently a massive decrease. I only saw one Monarch Butterfly this year and though I’m not a bellwether. The low levels have been echoed all over the state and country.
What Does This Mean for The Monarch Butterfly?
This means that the butterfly is in trouble, but it’s not quite at the “extinct” level (yet). By doing this, they want to ensure that we protect these butterflies from further harm and give them a little bit of a safety net.
But that’s not all – they also want to declare some land in California as “critical habitat” for the butterflies, which is basically a fancy way of saying, “This is the good stuff for monarchs, and we need to keep it safe.” We’re talking about around 4,395 acres – which, for context, is a lot of butterfly-friendly space!
How Can Iowans Help the Monarch Butterfly?
Here’s where YOU come in: The FWS is asking for your thoughts! Yup, they want your comments by March 12, 2025. I’d say that was plenty of time, right? That is until the date sneaks up on you…