{"id":11607,"date":"2020-01-30t00:39:46","date_gmt":"2020-01-30t00:39:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/arizona-volunteers-plant-hope-for-the-future-of-monarch-butterflies\/"},"modified":"2023-03-22t13:43:13","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22t13:43:13","slug":"arizona-monarch-conservation-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/arizona-monarch-conservation-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"arizona volunteers plant hope for the future of monarch butterflies"},"content":{"rendered":"

by james carr, <\/a>cronkite news<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

mcneal, arizona\u2014for monarch butterflies, it\u2019s all about the milkweed. without it, the iconic butterflies have no place to lay eggs and no place for their larva to feed \u2013 especially on their stupendous annual migrations. <\/p>\n

monarch populations have declined steeply in the past decades for a variety of reasons, including loss of habitat. to reverse the trend, the western association of fish and wildlife agencies in january instituted the western monarch butterfly conservation plan, a 50-year effort to help the monarchs bounce back. <\/p>\n

some of the first steps are being taken in arizona.<\/p>\n

at whitewater draw wildlife area near mcneal one day last month, 25 volunteers spent five hours planting milkweed to create waypoints for monarchs migrating to southern california and west-central mexico from the northern u.s. and canada \u2013 a trip that can stretch 3,000 miles each way<\/a>.<\/p>\n

the wildlife area \u2013 which is the winter home to more than 20,000 sandhill cranes \u2013 is a wetland nestled amid the arid plains of southern arizona, about 100 miles southeast of tucson. it has damp soil in places \u2013 ideal for several species of milkweed, a stalky, green wildflower<\/a> of the genus asclepias.<\/p>\n

monarchs leave the northern u.s. and canada in early fall to spend the winter on the california coast and in the sierra madre occidental in mexico, the u.s. department of agriculture<\/a> says. each trip takes four generations of butterflies to complete.<\/p>\n

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the project is a collaboration of the arizona game & fish department, the southwest monarch study, the gila watershed partnership and the western association of fish and wildlife agencies, and it depends heavily on volunteers. (james carr\/cronkite news)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

the planting project was set up by arizona game & fish department as its part in the overall western monarch butterfly conservation plan, which is meant to help reverse the 74% population decline of the monarch in arizona, california, idaho, nevada, oregon, utah and washington.<\/p>\n

the population of monarch butterflies overwintering in california last january was the lowest on record, with only 28,429 butterflies \u2013 an 85.2% decline from the previous year and a 99.4% decline from the number observed in the state in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

bill van pelt, the grassland coordinator for the western association of fish and wildlife agencies, oversees interstate programs and projects focused on grassland biomes. <\/p>\n

\u201cwhat these states did is came together, to come up with ideas to try to boost populations and give them areas for nectarine or feeding, and then waystations or layover areas and to take their next step on their migrations,\u201d van pelt said.<\/p>\n

other regions where the monarch populations are more permanent, such as california, focused on building out roosting areas \u2013 rest stops for the migrating monarchs, which only travel in daylight. for arizona, it means planting several varieties of milkweed through a collective effort among game & fish, the southwest monarch study and the gila watershed partnership.<\/p>\n

whitewater draw was the first of several arizona locations where milkweed will be planted, but that wasn\u2019t originally planned. a dry monsoon season for arizona delayed the planting at every other location, but whitewater draw is a special case, said cheri boucher, a project evaluation program specialist for game & fish.<\/p>\n

\u201cwe had originally planned to do a number of these during monsoon season and, you know, august, september, october, but this past monsoon season was one of the driest in history,\u201d boucher said. \u201cso we have postponed most of the events that we had planned until december, january, february.\u201d<\/p>\n

whitewater draw already has a maintained water source for the sandhill cranes, which spend their time in shallow, muddy waters, socializing and avoiding predators. not needing to rely on rainfall to ensure the milkweed survives makes whitewater draw special, but the process of planting will be the same for all the six other locations. <\/p>\n

the morning starts with a quick orientation from steve plath, the nursery manager for gila watershed partnership, about milkweed and what it takes to get the plants to grow. gail morris, a coordinator and conservation specialist for southwest monarch study, also explains how milkweed fits into the monarch life cycle.<\/p>\n

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volunteers planted five species of milkweed, each adapted to a different level of moisture in the soil. (james carr\/cronkite news)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

the process itself involves taking immature milkweeds and planting them in moist soil on the edge of a water source. the five different varieties of milkweed have adapted to different amounts of water, meaning they get planted in a ring type formation along the banks. the plants survive best in moist dirt, so digging the holes is a muddy operation.<\/p>\n

\u201cwe\u2019re all having fun, you know, digging in the mud and planting milkweed,\u201d boucher said.<\/p>\n

since the southwest monarch study began actively monitoring the monarch population in 2008, morris has seen a heavy decline, even considering normal population fluctuation. climate change affects the butterflies, he said, but the impact is really felt through the decline of milkweed and other native plants.<\/p>\n

\u201cclimate change isn\u2019t directly \u2026 like, the sun isn\u2019t killing the butterflies,\u201d morris said, \u201cbut it\u2019s killing the plants that they eat, right? it (climate change) can affect the monarchs if the temperatures get too high, it can affect it in two ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

rising temperatures also can slow the rate of caterpillars\u2019 growth, affecting the monarchs\u2019 entire migration schedule, morris said, adding that higher winter temperatures could destroy monarch habitats used today.<\/p>\n

for the volunteers, the idea of helping make a better future for the butterflies was more than enough to get them to come out. ariana tamayo remembers seeing monarchs in mexico as a child, an experience she wants future generations to have.<\/p>\n

\u201cthey hang out in trees and it\u2019s almost like a honeycomb of them,\u201d tamayo said. \u201cit\u2019s pretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n