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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Hi everyone,</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Milkweeds are critical for the dwindling population of western monarch butterflies to breed in California and other western states. Xerces scientists partnered with researchers from the University of Nevada Reno to investigate pesticide contamination of milkweed plants in California’s Central Valley. The study, <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00162/full">published today in <i>Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</i></a>, shows that milkweed plants in California are contaminated with a cocktail of pesticides. Nearly one third of the samples tested had insecticides at levels known to be lethal to monarchs.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Read more:</p><p class="MsoNormal">Xerces blog – <a href="https://xerces.org/science-notes-how-pesticide-sampling-can-help-restore-imperiled-western-monarchs">https://xerces.org/science-notes-how-pesticide-sampling-can-help-restore-imperiled-western-monarchs</a></p><p class="MsoNormal">Press release – <a href="https://xerces.org/press/harmful-pesticides-found-in-milkweeds-critical-for-western-monarchs">https://xerces.org/press/harmful-pesticides-found-in-milkweeds-critical-for-western-monarchs</a> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Open-access paper in <i>Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution</i> – <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00162/full">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2020.00162/full</a> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Matthew</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">----------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Matthew Shepherd</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Director of Communications & Outreach</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt">he/him/his</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><img border="0" width="160" height="60" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D63D71.B34942D0" alt="Email-Outlook_Xerces-logo-CMYK"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Protecting the Life That Sustains Us</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Connect with us @xercessociety on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/xercessociety/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Facebook</span></a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/xercessociety" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Twitter</span></a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/xercessociety/?hl=en" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">Instagram</span></a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Visit <a href="https://xerces.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">xerces.org</span></a> to read our <a href="https://xerces.org/blog" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">blog</span></a>, sign up for our <a href="https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001HTk7N6nZumLPinBr8VACbNdTXCe732bGu6KpqC13JAKPti_HBe5xyr7t0p4mDfKe2dOsd-TB1qvv772s6GQfVa_SbKKfwBiwl4blH4KvCjq4dpmA2M9UNZ2axlQwu_1Gvjrl2Rb53WUZwsddwCzyorgxedLAaMy3" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">e-newsletter</span></a>, and find out how you can protect invertebrates.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Watch us on </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1f497d"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAiPLPJuySOgn6CbjkOxqLQ"><span style="color:blue">YouTube</span></a>.</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Support our work: <a href="https://xerces.org/donate/"><span style="color:blue">Donate</span></a>!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232, USA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Office: (503) 232-6639 x110</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Cell: (503) 807-1577</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt"><a href="mailto:matthew.shepherd@xerces.org" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">matthew.shepherd@xerces.org</span></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>