[Pollinator] Annual Count Shows that Number of Monarch Butterflies Overwintering in California may be Holding Steady

[Candace Fallon]

Hi all,

Apologies for the double posting, but I've been alerted that the link I
provided does not work. You can read more about the 2014 Western Monarch
Thanksgiving Count here:
http://www.xerces.org/2015/01/14/annual-count-shows-that-number-of-monarch-butterflies-overwintering-in-california-may-be-holding-steady/
.

Candace

On Thu, Jan 15, 2015 at 10:53 AM, Candace Fallon <candace at xerces.org> wrote:

> This is the season for monarch count results! We're all eagerly
> anticipating the numbers from Mexico but the data from California's Western
> Monarch Thanksgiving Count have just become available. Thanks again to all
> of our amazing volunteers and coordinators who make this effort possible!
>
>
>
> The numbers released today show that monarch butterfly populations at
> overwintering sites in California may be remaining stable. Volunteers with
> the 2014 Xerces Society Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count visited 185
> sites, nearly two dozen more than the previous year, and tallied a total of
> 234,731 monarchs. This is up from the 211,275 counted in 2013. However, the
> average number of butterflies per site was slightly down, and the overall
> increase is likely due to the fact that more sites were surveyed this fall.
>
>
>
> Data collected since 1997 show a considerable decline in the number of
> overwintering monarchs. In the first year of the count, over 1.2 million
> monarchs were recorded at 101 sites (an average of 12,232 monarchs per
> site). In 2014, just 234,731 monarchs were counted at 185 sites—an average
> of only 1,268 monarchs per site, representing a decline of 81 percent from
> the 1997 high and a 48 percent decline from the 18-year average.
>
>
>
> Now in its 18th year, the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count spans three
> weeks over the Thanksgiving holiday and is supported by over 150 volunteers
> throughout the state. Volunteer efforts such as this are critically
> important to understanding the status of western monarch
> butterflies. Estimating the numbers of overwintering butterflies is the
> best way to gauge the status of the monarch population. Scientists believe
> loss and degradation of both breeding and overwintering habitat, pesticide
> use, and drought—exacerbated by climate change—may all be contributing to
> the decline in monarch numbers.
>
>
>
> Read more here:
> http://www.xerces.org/2015/01/14/annual-count-shows-that-number-of-monarch-butterflies-overwintering-in-california-may-be-holding-steady/
> <http://www.xerces.org/2015/01/14/annual-count-shows-that-number-of-monarch-butterflies-overwintering-in-california-may-be-holding-steady/?preview=true&preview_id=21356&preview_nonce=8773d38f4d>
> .
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Candace and Mia
>
> --
>
> *Candace Fallon*
>
> Conservation Biologist
>
> Endangered Species Program
>
>
>
> *The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation*
>
> *Protecting the Life that Sustains Us*
>
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