Protect monarchs

Sitting on the deck on a quiet country afternoon, I switched from reading a book, The Old Man’s Boy Grows Older by Ruark, to listening to a podcast about bird hunting, while watching the birds at the bird feeder. My better half joined me. She read a book as we enjoyed the peace and quiet, biding the time until we went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary.

A very light rain began to fall and we slid under the overhang. A monarch butterfl y started fluttering around us. It looked like it wanted to land on a plant between us, seeking shelter from the rain. Eventually it landed on one of us, then the other, and my wife was able to get several pictures of it - more entertaining than a podcast.

Literally just minutes after that, a message comes in with breaking information that the monarch butterfly was “listed as endangered.” It’s true that monarchs have been undergoing a population decline for several decades. That can be substantiated by population surveys. It is an insect that migrates through a complicated life cycle from Mexico to far northern places like Wisconsin and back to Mexico. Milkweed is vital to their life cycle. The butterfly works as a pollinator of plants as it hunts for nectar to fuel its reproduction and migration. It is considered the most recognized butterfly in North America.

As I read the article some things stood out. I read that “The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfl y for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered” — two steps from extinct.” What does that mean and who is the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and what is a “red list?”

To me “listed as endangered” means under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) on the Endangered Species List (ESL) and placed there by the USFWS. So I checked. The monarch is not on the Endangered Species List; however, since 2020 the monarch is on a list for consideration of being listed as endangered under the ESA. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature doesn’t have anything to do with placing a species on the ESL under the ESA; that is done by the USFWS and in the case of wolves – federal judges.

The article listed different estimates of population decline, 27% to 72% and worse. Several other articles talking about the same “listing” by the same organization (not the USFWS) stated a 99% decline in population of monarch butterflies. What’s true? 27%, 72%, or 99%, and what is “red list?” To me, creating confusion about the endangered list versus the Endangered Species List isn’t the way to go about drawing attention to declines in pollinators, even those as stunningly aesthetic as the monarch butterfly. No one asked me though. The next day I was at a sporting clays range with monarchs flying around everywhere. One guy even blamed a few missed clays on getting distracted by a butterfly. There is a lot of milkweed growing on that range. The people who own and shoot at that range are hunters. Most of the places I see milkweed and monarchs in large numbers is on private land.

Several years ago I talked about the pollinator initiative by Pheasants Forever. Hunter based wildlife and habitat organizations have been concerned for some time. The rapidly growing group of hobbyist bee keepers is concerned as well. The decline of pollinators and especially monarchs is on the radar. I’ve been reading about the decline of monarchs for over 20 years. There are things that can be done and very likely should be.

In open areas, the management of habitat for pollinator type insects will benefi t gamebirds, song birds, small mammals, large animals, soil quality, and water quality. A few miles to the east lies the DOT wetland reclamation project, growing a sea of reed canary grass with effectively zero wildlife value. The point is there are plenty of spaces owned by states and the federal government that a small amount of effort could convert the area to native prairie mixes, with a lot of value for soil, water, wildlife, viewing pleasure, and pollinators.

Maybe this article will draw attention to this. Maybe this will just get lost in the fray of the political election season. The monarch is not yet on the Endangered Species List and it would best if it never needs to be.

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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN