The bright orange and black-marked monarch migrates through Oklahoma each fall and spring, stopping along its route to produce new generations that will complete its annual flights.
But conservationists and the nation’s wildlife authority say the species is in peril due to habitat loss, climate change and the use of insecticides.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced a proposal this week to list the monarch as “threatened” and give it protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA.) Population sizes of the eastern monarch, found in Oklahoma, have declined by about 80% since the 1990s, the agency estimates.
Protections under the ESA have proven successful since its enactment in 1973, the agency noted in a news release. The Center for Biological Diversity estimates the act prevented extinction of about 291 species since its passage.
“Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance,” said FWS Director Martha Williams in a news release. “Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.”
The monarch butterfly’s migration lines up with the Interstate 35 corridor, passing through south central states.
“Oklahoma being centrally located right in the midst of the migratory path, makes it a critical place for the monarchs to stop and raise their young, as well as get food and continue their migration,” said Katie Hawk, executive director of nonprofit Oklahoma Monarch Society.
The proposal didn’t come as a surprise to Hawk, whose organization leads the awareness campaign “Okies for Monarchs.”
A petition from 2014 began the 10-year process of getting a proposal for federal protections for the species. The document from the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety and the Xerces Society was sent to the agency and reviewed but did not result in protections.
In 2020, FWS announced that the monarch warranted such protections but was precluded from the list because of other high-priority wildlife conservation. The pool of money dedicated to the Endangered Species Act does not expand with new additions.
The agency is accepting public comments on the proposal until March 12.
Emily Geest, a conservation scientist with the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, said FWS is likely expecting hundreds to thousands of comments on the matter. A decision on the monarch’s protections will probably be made next fall, she said.
”Even though we're really close to the finish line, there's still some time to go before any of this is actually enacted,” she said.
Regulations from the ESA wouldn’t have major implications for landowners in Oklahoma, Geest said. Handling of monarchs would be limited by FWS, but all routine land practices would still be allowed.
Oklahomans who want to help connect the monarch’s path in the spring and fall can grow certain species of plant. Geest recommended buying milkweed for caterpillars and nectar plants for adult monarchs.
Some examples of milkweed and nectar plants include:
Tall grass milkweed
Purple milkweed
Common milkweed
White milkweed
Butterflyweed
Purple coneflower
Indian blanket
Showy goldenrod
Geest said people who live in apartments can plant the pollinator-friendly species in pots on balconies and those in houses can designate an area in their yard for growth.
”There's no action that's too small,” she said.
