Nature conservation groups are ringing the alarm about the possibility of monarch butterflies being gone for good.
It was disheartening news for volunteers with Monarch Joint Venture, a national non-profit working to conserve monarchs."We are looking at every milkweed plant, and we examine every leaf and we're looking for eggs or larva," said Marti Starr, a volunteer.Bev Blomgren, another volunteer, says she does it because,"As I've gotten older, I've been paying more attention to what's around me, and everybody loves butterflies.
After years of plummeting population numbers, the International Union for Conservation of Nature added monarchs to its Red List of species facing extinction. "As we converted those [natural] landscapes for urban development, agricultural development, we lost a lot of that native grassland habitat that supports our pollinators," said Wendy Caldwell, the executive director of Monarch Joint Venture.
Caldwell says the effects of climate change like drought, heat, and winter storms have also disrupted monarchs' annual 3,000-mile migration. She's hopeful though because the watchlist designation will increase awareness of the urgency of the situation."That includes habitat that has native wildflowers and most importantly, milkweeds."Anyone can help monitor the population too. After completing an online training course, you can check your own backyard or neighborhood and submit the data.David joined the WCCO team in April 2020, previously working at CBS 58 in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he worked in Las Vegas.
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