Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan Sponsored by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 2019-2069 Western Monarch Working Group TAYLOR COTTEN ANN POTTER Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife JIM DEVOS DAYDRE ROSER Arizona Game and Fish Department California Department of Fish and Wildlife CHRIS KELEHER HELEN SWAGERTY Utah Department of Natural Resources California Department of Fish and Wildlife STAFFORD LEHR LEONA SVANCARA California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Executive Idaho Department of Fish and Game Sponsor PAUL THOMPSON SAMANTHA MARCUM Utah Department of Natural Resources U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Editor KAREN MINER BETH WATERBURY California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Working Idaho Department of Fish and Game, retired Group Chair Graphic Design JENNIFER NEWMARK KELLY KENNEDY YOKOYAMA Nevada Department of Wildlife Sighthound Graphic Design DAVIA PALMERI Recommended citation: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. 2019. Western monarch butterfly conservation plan, 2019–2069. REX SALLABANKS Version 1.0. Idaho Department of Fish and Game Cover photo credits: MARIA ULLOA BUSTOS Upper left: Volunteers search for adult monarchs as part of Bureau of Land Management a tagging project at Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area, Parma, Idaho. Dusty Perkins/CWI. BILL VAN PELT Upper right: Overwintering cluster of monarchs at Pismo Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Beach State Park. Ryan Hagerty/USFWS. MINDY WHEELER Bottom: Composite photos of monarchs and showy milkweed. Utah Department of Natural Resources Beth Waterbury/IDFG. Contributing Authors CHERI BOUCHER Arizona Game and Fish Department VIKKI FINN U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Region MIKE HOUTS Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies “Delivering conservation through information exchange and working partnerships” WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PLAN 2019-2069 i Acknowledgments Monarch butterflies cluster on native Monterey cypress at Pismo Beach State Park, ranked number 1 in the Top 50 list of overwintering sites in California in greatest need of management attention. Ryan Hagerty/USFWS. he Western Monarch Working Group is grateful Hundreds of volunteer citizen scientists have contributed Tto the panel of western monarch researchers who thousands of hours observing, collecting, and recording generously provided their time and energy to this effort: data to increase our collective knowledge of monarchs Elizabeth Crone, Thomas Dilts, Matthew Forister, Sarina in North America. We sincerely thank these individuals, Jepsen, Gail Morris, Emma Pelton, and Cheryl Schultz. organizations, and businesses for their commitment and In addition, selected individuals representing various valuable contributions. We also thank the stakeholders agencies and public sectors provided comments on a who took time to comment on this Plan. preliminary rough draft of the Plan. Their thoughtful review and input was invaluable in refining this final To the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we Plan. express our gratitude for providing a grant to support the development of this Plan. We also acknowledge and express our appreciation to all monarch researchers, past and present, whose field and laboratory studies have illuminated our understanding of the North American monarch butterfly. ii WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PLAN 2019-2069 Executive Summary he monarch butterfly is one of the most familiar monarch range. In contrast to the eastern range, the Tand charismatic insects of North America, western range is distinct in containing overwintering, renowned for its distinctive migratory phenomena and breeding, and migratory habitats comprising the entirety reliance on milkweed, the monarch’s larval host plant. of the monarch’s migratory life cycle. With the exception Once widespread and common throughout its range, of the California wintering sites, critical knowledge gaps populations have undergone significant declines. The still exist on the distribution and quality of monarch western population of monarchs that breeds west of the breeding and migratory habitats and primary threat Rocky Mountains and largely overwinters in coastal factors influencing monarch declines in the western California has declined 74% since the late 1990s. The landscape. much larger eastern population that breeds east of the Rockies and overwinters in Mexico has declined at a The Plan is organized in seven sections as follows: similar rate. Section 1: Introduction and Plan Overview describes the In 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) need, purpose, planning approach, and state authorities was petitioned to list the monarch as a threatened for developing the Plan. species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The USFWS found that the petition contained Section 2: Western Monarch Butterfly Ecologyis a primer sufficient information to demonstrate that listing may be on monarch life history, habitat requirements, and warranted and initiated a formal status review to inform population status of western monarchs. their listing decision, anticipated in June 2019. Section 3: Summary of Potential Threat Factors provides Concurrent with the status review, USFWS and an overview of a suite of potential threats impacting the the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies have western monarch population and its habitat. actively promoted collaborative efforts across state, organizational, and landownership boundaries to address Section 4: Current Conservation Efforts summarizes recent threats and opportunities facing monarchs and other and ongoing activities of federal and state agencies, pollinators. In 2017, the Western Association of Fish and NGOs, academia, industry sectors, and citizen scientists Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) established the Western on behalf of monarch and pollinator conservation. Monarch Working Group (WMWG) to proactively lead a multistate cooperative agenda for conservation Section 5: Monarch Population and Habitat Goals of the western monarch population. If implemented in establishes near term (5-year) measurable objectives a timely manner, WMWG efforts could preclude the for population size and habitat targets with the goal of need to list the monarch under the ESA. This document, reversing western monarch declines and providing for The Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan population growth. Additional short- and long-term (hereafter “Plan”), is intended to articulate and attain goals will be established as crucial data on monarch life WAFWA’s vision to identify and promote a shared set history and habitat selection are attained. of coordinated, ecosystem-based conservation strategies across all partner agencies to achieve the vision of a Section 6: Monarch Conservation Strategies outlines viable western monarch population. approaches to: The Plan currently encompasses the states of Arizona, • Protect and restore overwintering groves, including California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and development of site-specific grove management Washington, which comprise the core of the western plans; and conserve monarch breeding and WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PLAN 2019-2069 iii migratory habitats in natural lands, urban and conservation activities in the Plan to identify whether industrial, rights-of-way, and agricultural habitat they are producing the desired results or whether sectors; adjustments in approaches under the adaptive management process are warranted. • Harness the widespread appeal of the monarch to engage eight different audiences in education, This Plan is a call to action. It provides a collaborative conservation, and scientific research programs; framework for action and accountability among state, federal, NGO, academic, private, and local partners • Research priorities for overwintering and breeding/ to advance near-term and long-term objectives to migratory life stages, and monitoring priorities to address and ameliorate threats and ensure improvement track population trends and threat reduction efforts. and long-term persistence of the western monarch population into the foreseeable future (50 years). Plan Section 7: Capacity, Funding, Implementation provides implementation will require public sector engagement summary-level clarity to the question of how WMWG and community-based efforts to reach the population state members will mechanize Plan implementation and habitat goals herein. as a matter of law, funding, and governance structure. This section also describes a framework for monitoring The Idaho Legislature adopted the monarch butterfly as the official State Insect in 1992. Brett Magnuson. iv WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION PLAN 2019-2069 Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................ ii SECTION 6: Monarch Conservation Strategies ................... 37 6.1. Overwintering Habitat .................................................. 37 Executive Summary ..................................................................... iii 6.2. Natural Lands .................................................................. 41 Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in this Document .. vii 6.3. Urban and Industrial Development ......................... 46 SECTION 1: Introduction and Plan Overview ..................... 1 6.4. Rights-of-Way ................................................................. 52 1.1. Need ....................................................................................