Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Population Plummets. Is Species Near 'Collapse'?
News
By News
Published 4 years ago on
December 14, 2020

Share

[aggregation-styles]

Preliminary numbers from an annual monarch butterfly population count in Pismo Beach show the insect species has suffered a devastating blow and is teetering closer to extinction.

Volunteers only saw about 200 butterflies during this year’s count at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, one of California’s paramount overwintering site for western monarch butterflies, according to Emma Pelton, senior conservation biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

In 2019, the Pismo Beach grove had more than 6,700 monarchs — 23% of the western monarch population that year — and just five years ago, the site counted about 28,000 butterflies, according to the Xerces Society.

“We might be witnessing the collapse of the species,” Pelton said.

Meanwhile, Trump administration officials are expected to say this week whether the monarch should receive federal designation as a threatened species.

The administration has rolled back protections for endangered and threatened species in its push for deregulation, even as the United Nations says 1 million species — one of every eight on Earth — face extinction because of climate change, development and other human causes.

Under a court agreement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must respond by Tuesday to a 2014 petition from conservation groups on behalf of the monarch.

Read More →

DON'T MISS

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

DON'T MISS

Say Goodbye to Overpriced Groceries: 6 Hacks to Save Hundreds Each Month

DON'T MISS

From Stories to Work Shirts, How Jim Harbaugh Has Turned Around the Chargers

DON'T MISS

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

DON'T MISS

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

DON'T MISS

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

DON'T MISS

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

DON'T MISS

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

DON'T MISS

Newsom: Insurance Companies Can’t Cancel or Not Renew Policies of LA Fire Victims

DON'T MISS

Notre Dame Gets Late Pick and Field Goal to Edge Penn State

UP NEXT

Rise of the Anti-“Woke” Democrat

UP NEXT

High-Level Saudi Visit Follows Multimillion-Dollar Foreign Influence Operation

UP NEXT

Iran and Russia Move to Fill Diplomatic Vacuum in Afghanistan

UP NEXT

Pelosi’s Husband Locked In $5.3 Million From Alphabet Options

UP NEXT

Experts Reportedly See Major Damage in Attack on Iran Centrifuge Plant

UP NEXT

Opinion: School Choice Marches Ahead

UP NEXT

Zakaria: Americans Care About History Because the Stakes Are High

UP NEXT

California Democrats Are Reliably Pro-Labor. But One Union Is Testing Their Patience.

UP NEXT

The Tightrope Walk Democrats Have Ahead on Two Separate Infrastructure Bills

UP NEXT

Bill Barr on Trump’s Election Fraud Claims: “It Was All Bullsh*t”

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

15 hours ago

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

16 hours ago

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

17 hours ago

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

17 hours ago

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

18 hours ago

Newsom: Insurance Companies Can’t Cancel or Not Renew Policies of LA Fire Victims

18 hours ago

Notre Dame Gets Late Pick and Field Goal to Edge Penn State

18 hours ago

NFL Moves Vikings-Rams Playoff Game to Arizona Due to Wildfires

18 hours ago

Hamas Hostage Survivor Will Speak in Fresno on Saturday

19 hours ago

Why Was FUSD Interim Superintendent’s Seat Moved at Board Meetings?

20 hours ago

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

Until recently, there was nothing dissonant about the fact that the heart of Silicon Valley is represented in the House by one of the most p...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

1 hour ago

Say Goodbye to Overpriced Groceries: 6 Hacks to Save Hundreds Each Month

15 hours ago

From Stories to Work Shirts, How Jim Harbaugh Has Turned Around the Chargers

15 hours ago

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

16 hours ago

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

17 hours ago

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

Corey Day Signs Contract With Hendrick Motorsports
17 hours ago

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

The Oakland Zoo's rescue of Azules, a young spider monkey, highlights the dangers of wildlife trafficking and illegal primate ownership. (Oakland Zoo)
18 hours ago

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend