The Western monarch population has been on verge of collapse for a few years now, which in part led to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in late 2024 to announce monarch butterflies would be considered threatened by December 2025. The label would have meant specific protections for both Western and Eastern monarchs.
When the Trump Administration took over in 2025, that all changed. Under new management, the USFWS failed to finalize the protections.
In February of this year, the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety filed a lawsuit against the administration over the failure. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the USFSW agreed to a stipulated settlement, requiring the agency to list monarchs as threatened by June 6, 2030.
"Monarchs are migrating south right now bringing joy to everyone that sees them, but punting their protection for years magnifies the risk that we could lose these migratory wonders," said Tierra Curry, endangered species co-director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"Butterflies are the latest victims of the dumpster fire this administration is trying to make of the Endangered Species Act," she said.
The Western monarch population is estimated to have fallen by 95 percent since the 1990s, with the Eastern monarch population dropping by 80 percent. Last season's Western count found only 12,260 monarchs overwintering at 249 sites along the coast of California, including in Monterey County.
In Pacific Grove, which is celebrating its annual Butterfly Days on Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4, the official count last season was just 188, down from 228 in 2024 and 6,508 in 2023.
"It's shameful that it will have taken over a decade and a half from the time we sought protection for monarchs until they finally get the safeguards they need to survive, but it's significant we now have a binding date for final listing," said George Kimbrell, legal director at the Center for Food Safety.
"The threats that monarchs face also harm human communities and it's imperative to protect these vital pollinators from habitat destruction and poisonous pesticides before it's too late," Kimbrell added.