A campaign to save the declining monarch butterfly was announced Monday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which pledged $3.2 million to build new habitat for the iconic orange species.
"If we all work together – individuals, communities, farmers, land managers, and local, state, and federal agencies – we can ensure that every American child has a chance to experience amazing monarchs in their backyards," National Wildlife Federation president and CEO Collin O’Mara
said in a prepared statement.
"By taking action today and addressing the growing threats that are affecting so much of America’s treasured wildlife – habitat loss, pesticide overuse and climate change – we will preserve monarchs and America’s rich wildlife legacy."
The Associated Press reported via Yahoo News that monarch butterflies numbered roughly 1 billion across North America as recently as 1996. Their numbers have declined dramatically since then – with some population estimates down 90 percent.
Of the fund, $2 million will help restore 200,000 acres of monarch-friendly habitat in the West and Midwest, including 750 schoolyard habitats. The remaining $1.2 million will be used to create the world's first conservation fund dedicated solely to monarchs.
"The magic of the monarch butterfly is that little patches matter," Service Director Dan Ashe said at a news conference in Washington.
In December, the wildlife service announced that it was undergoing a one-year review to determine whether the monarch population has dwindled to the point that they could be afforded the strong protections of the Endangered Species Act.
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