Ag Issues & Public Relations Webinar – June 30th -10 am PST, 11 am MST, 12 pm CST and 1 pm EST.
Webinar
Topic: Agriculture’s Opportunity to Take a Role in Monarch Butterfly Conservation
The
monarch butterfly is one of the most well-known and widely distributed
butterflies in the United States. Dozens
of species of milkweed are acceptable larvae host plants, but over much of the eastern
and central United States common milkweed and butterfly weed are a few of the
most widely available. Both species are
strongly influenced by agricultural land use decisions and weed management
practices.
A
sharp decline in the population of this butterfly over the last decade has
captured public and government attention.
The Corn Belt region of the U.S. is known as a high production area for
breeding monarchs, but with the widespread loss of their larval host plants in
the region due to the onset of herbicide tolerant crops, monarch and milkweed
populations have diminished. While this has been identified as one of the chief
causes of the monarch decline, conservationists are working to mitigate
numerous threats throughout the North American range.
Public
Opinion on Agriculture’s Impacts on the Monarch Butterfly
Public
concern about B.t. toxins in the pollen of B.t. corn causing harm to monarch
larvae is also apparent. Studies have shown that while this toxin can be
detrimental to other Lepidoptera, including monarchs, it may not be as high of
a conservation priority because exposure levels are lower.
Significant
reduction of milkweed populations due to an increase in use of
glyphosate-resistant GE corn is a more recent focus of public attention. See http://www.mlmp.org/results/findings/pleasants_and_oberhauser_2012_milkweed_loss_in_ag_fields.pdf for a published article documenting the
reduction of milkweed availability and its impact on monarch populations.
Butterfly
weed, among other species, is a typical component of seed mixes used in conservation
plantings. High corn prices raised public
concern that conservation plantings would be put into crop production,
lessening natural habitat for many wildlife species, including monarchs.
These
topics have generated a great deal of discussion amongst many partners looking
to identify ways to collaborate on a viable solution for an iconic species.
Scientific
and Governmental Attention to the Monarch Butterfly Situation
A
North American Monarch Conservation Plan was put forth in 2008 by the Commission
for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), an organization with representation from
the United States, Canada and Mexico.
See http://www.mlmp.org/Resources/pdf/5431_Monarch_en.pdf
In
February 2014 a joint statement was issued by President Obama, Canadian Prime
Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. It included:
“Our governments will establish a
working group to ensure the conservation
of the Monarch butterfly, a species that symbolizes our association.”
In
August of 2014 a petition to place the monarch on the federal threatened and
endangered species list was presented to the U.S. Secretary of the
Interior. Some groups disagree with this
method of protection monarchs, but it has garnered a lot of public attention to
the issue. The fate of this petition is still to be determined. The full
petition can be found at http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/pdfs/Monarch_ESA_Petition.pdf.
The
U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service released information regarding $2 million
in funding for monarch conservation in February of 2015. For more information, see:
“Conservation
and Management of Monarch Butterflies: A Strategic Framework” was published by
Forest Service of the U.S.D.A. in March of 2015.
There
are a number of organizations and groups that are concerned with monarch
conservation, two of the most authoritative are:
Erwin
'Duke' Elsner, Ph.D.
Small
Fruit / Consumer Horticulture Educator
Michigan
State University Extension
520
W. Front Street, Suite A, Traverse City, MI 49684
phone:
231 922-4822 fax: 231-947-6783 email:
elsner@msu.edu
Duke
Elsner has been an agricultural educator for Michigan State University
Extension for 25 years, currently specializing in small fruit production and
consumer horticulture. He holds a B.S.,
M.S. and Ph.D. in Entomology, and has studied North American butterflies and
moths for over 40 years. He is a former
president of the Michigan Association of Extension Agents and the Michigan
Entomological Society.
Wendy
Caldwell is the coordinator of the Monarch Joint Venture, a national
partnership working to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. In this
position, she works with over 30 partner organizations across the U.S. to
protect and restore habitat for monarchs and other pollinators. Prior to her
role with the Joint Venture, Wendy worked for Dr. Karen Oberhauser at the
University of Minnesota Monarch Lab, leading the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
and assisting with research efforts and educational workshops for teachers.
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