[Pollinator] 2013 Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count data released

[Candace Fallon]

Number of Monarch butterflies overwintering in California holds steady, but
still well below the 1990s.

 

Data released today
<http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/WMTC-Data-1997-2013-Update
d-30-Jan-2014.pdf>  show that more monarch butterflies were counted at
overwintering sites in California this year compared to last year. While
this is welcome news, the number of butterflies is still well below peak
numbers from the 1990s. Volunteers with the Western Monarch Thanksgiving
Count visited 162 sites in coastal California and tallied a total of 211,275
monarchs. 

 

Monarch butterflies spend the winter in spectacular clusters in the Oyamel
fir forest of Mexico and at hundreds of forested sites along the California
coastline. Reports from Mexico's overwintering sites reveal that the area
occupied by monarchs is at an all-time low. In California, monarchs cluster
in many small sites scattered along the coast, making it more difficult to
track the size of the population.

 

Now in its 17th year, the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count is a remarkable
citizen science effort to do just that. Over a three week period spanning
the Thanksgiving holiday, dozens of volunteers visit scores of overwintering
sites to count the number of monarchs. Overwintering monarchs along the
California coastline have shown considerable declines since the count began.
In 1997, the first year of the count, there were over 1.2 million
butterflies at 101 sites. In 2013, just 211,275 were counted monarchs at 162
sites (see graph). Loss and degradation of both breeding and overwintering
habitat, pesticide use, and drought-exacerbated by climate change-may all be
contributing to this decline. Conservation scientists are concerned that the
continuing drought in California and throughout the west may lead to even
lower numbers in years to come. 

 

WMTC-Graph-1997-2013-Updated-30 Jan 2014

Monroe, M., D. Frey, and S. Stevens. 2014. Western Monarch Thanksgiving
Count Data from 1997-2013. Available at:
http://www.xerces.org/western-monarch-thanksgiving-count/. Accessed January
2014.

 

Volunteer efforts such as the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count are
critically important to understanding the status of western monarch
butterflies, and the 2013 overwintering season witnessed the most
comprehensive site coverage to date, with 162 sites visited from Sonoma to
San Diego Counties. Groups such as the Xerces Society, Monarch Alert, the
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, and the Monarch Program are working
to increase volunteer participation by providing outreach opportunities and
engaging local citizens and students. 

 

To learn more about the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, access data, and
get involved, visit our website:
http://www.xerces.org/butterfly-conservation/western-monarch-thanksgiving-co
unt/. You can read more about Xerces' Monarch Conservation Campaign,
including our efforts to conserve overwintering sites in California and
restore breeding habitat in key regions of the United States here:
http://www.xerces.org/monarchs/. You can also learn about efforts to
conserve western monarchs by visiting the Monarch Joint Venture website:
http://monarchjointventure.org/our-work/list/category/western-monarchs

 

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Protecting the Life that Sustains Us

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife
through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Since 1971, the
Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection, harnessing the
knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement
conservation programs worldwide. To learn more about our work or to donate
to the Society, please visit
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001nJnaKMBwYCAguwWGA_qLheYSzpJ_6ZDsrjtw2v1kXAu1
WHcprshLwht2WNgNT1ZoAT7n6H5bgP5B5RYqpz2hq5doAUxKkJFj-6hkaZj9G1U=>
www.xerces.org.

  _____  

Candace Fallon

Conservation Biologist

Endangered Species Program

 

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

628 NE Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232, USA

Tel: 1-855-232-6639 ext. 118 

 

The Xerces Society is an international nonprofit organization that protects
wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat.

 

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