PORTLAND, Ore., January 23, 2020—The Xerces Society today announced that the number of monarch butterflies overwintering in California remains at critical levels for the second year. The monarch population during the 2018–19 winter was an all-time low. Unfortunately, this year’s Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count numbers are no better.

The total number of monarchs counted this year was 29,418. Although this is 2,200 more than last year, it comes as a result of greater survey effort, with volunteers visiting more sites. There is no meaningful difference between the western monarch population this year and last.

In addition, in both years the population has been less than 30,000 butterflies, the threshold below which the migration may collapse.

“We are disappointed by the numbers of year’s Western Monarch Thanksgiving count,” said Emma Pelton, the Xerces Society’s Western Monarch Lead. “We had hoped that the western monarch population would have rebounded at least modestly, but unfortunately it has not. The silver lining is that the population didn’t shrink any further. There are still thousands of monarchs overwintering along the coast, so we can take heart that it’s not too late to act.”

Read the entire press release here: https://www.xerces.org/press/western-monarch-butterfly-population-still-at-critical-level
Read a blog about this here: https://www.xerces.org/blog/western-monarchs-need-our-help-more-than-ever

The Western Monarch Mystery Challenge is a campaign running from February 14th to April 22nd, to collect more records of where western monarchs spend the spring in California, after leaving the overwintering sites.

Western monarchs are at less than 1% of their population size in the 1980’s and the situation is alarming. The Western Monarch Mystery Challenge is a campaign to find out where western monarch butterflies are in early spring. We know they spend the winter months (November to February) in groves along the California Coast, and start breeding in central California as early as February. However, we know a lot less about where they are and what they’re up to in February, March, and April. Solving the mystery of where western monarchs spend the spring is central to conserving and restoring the phenomenon of monarch migration in the West.

How to participate is simple:

-If you see a monarch outside of overwintering groves, take a picture! (don’t worry, it can be far away and blurry)
-Report it to iNaturalist OR email it to MonarchMystery@wsu.edu
-Be automatically entered to win a variety of prizes every week you report a sighting

If you upload a monarch photo - from outside the overwintering sites - you will be automatically entered in a weekly prize drawing. We will choose winners every week from Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) to Earth Day (April 22). Prizes will range from gift cards to REI or Patagonia to other goodies.

By reporting an observation, you will be adding to our community science program, the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper, a great way to see our knowledge of western monarch grow.

Here’s how the entry process works:

Each photo is an entry. So if you submit 3 photos in a week, that is 3 entries for the prize that week.
Each week you are eligible for new prizes, even if you submitted sightings and won prizes the week before. (No duplicates of the same monarch in the same place in the same week)

If you want to participate but do not see a monarch, you can be entered to win prizes by becoming a monarch ambassador. To be an ambassador:

Share the Western Monarch Mystery Challenge on social media
Use #monarchmystery and tag our accounts listed below
OR be a neighborhood ambassador through NextDoor - anywhere in California, particularly in the coast range and Central Valley where we suspect monarchs are most active in the spring.

*Please do not submit sightings from monarch rearing projects. They skew data and could jeopardize the quality and legitimacy of conservation plans. Only “wild” monarchs are to be reported.

Media accounts, hashtags, and contacts:
(bolded hashtags are necessary)

Facebook: @monarchmystery
Instagram: @westernmonarchmystery
Twitter: @wmonarchmystery

monarchmystery #citizenscience #citsci #communityscience #westernmonarchs #savethemonarchs #savemonarchs #savetheplanet #science #nature #climatechange

Please direct questions to:
Lilianne de la Espriella
MonarchMystery@wsu.edu
5619297764