Take two actions: comment to protect monarch butterflies as endangered and to protect the Endangered Species Act itself by 11:59 p.m ET Monday, May 19.
Protect Monarchs—and the Endangered Species Act Itself
If you’ve ever watched a monarch butterfly float past you on a summer breeze, you’ve glimpsed one of the great wonders of the natural world. Their epic migrations stretch across thousands of miles. Their bright orange wings have inspired artists, children, and conservationists alike. And now, monarch butterflies are closer than ever to disappearing.
Monarch populations have plummeted. The migratory western monarch population, in particular, has seen a steady decline, with fewer than 2,000 individuals recorded in 2020, compared to millions in the 1980s. The eastern monarch population has also faced severe losses, including an 84% decline from 1996 to 2014. According to the Species Status Assessment, the eastern monarch faces a 48-69% chance of extinction within the next 60 years, while the western monarch has a staggering 98-99% probability of extinction. These alarming statistics make clear that protecting the monarch under the Endangered Species Act is essential to prevent its extinction.
Without federal protections, scientists estimate there’s a high probability that monarchs will go extinct within our lifetime. That’s why we’re urging everyone who cares about the natural world to take two critical actions TODAY:
1. Submit a comment to protect monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act (by 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, May 19)
Monarchs depend entirely on milkweed to lay their eggs and complete their life cycle. But their habitats—milkweed fields, nectar-rich meadows, and vital overwintering groves—are vanishing due to pesticide use, development, and climate change.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has reopened the public comment period to consider listing monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We need as many people as possible to raise their voices in support.
- Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET Monday May 19, 2025
- Submit your comment here: regulations.gov link
- Need help? We’ve provided a sample comment at the end of this post.
This listing wouldn’t just protect monarchs—it would enhance habitat restoration efforts, coordinate recovery strategies, and bring national attention to one of the most iconic species at risk of extinction.
2. Speak up against the Trump administration’s proposal to gut the definition of “harm” under the ESA (also by 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, May 19)
It’s hard to imagine, but the same administration that tried to remove protections for gray wolves and other imperiled species is now targeting the very core of the Endangered Species Act itself. They’ve proposed to narrow the legal definition of “harm”—a foundational part of how the ESA works. For decades, courts have affirmed that destroying a species’ habitat counts as harming it. That definition has been crucial for protecting animals like the monarch, who can’t survive without their shrinking homes.
If this change is finalized, developers and extractive industries could bulldoze habitats without violating the law, even if doing so drives species toward extinction.
- Deadline: 11:59 p.m. ET Monday May 19, 2025
- See how to submit your comment here: Toolkit: Protect the Endangered Species Act
Sample Comment in Support of Listing Monarchs
I fully support the proposal to list the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA is one of the most effective conservation laws in the world and has a 99 percent success rate at stopping extinction.
Monarch butterflies have experienced devastating population declines, and without urgent protections and recovery plans, they are likely to vanish in our lifetime. Listing the monarch as threatened would ensure that habitat protections, coordinated recovery actions, and legal safeguards are applied before it’s too late.
I also oppose any changes to weaken the definition of “harm” under the ESA. Habitat destruction is harm, and weakening that definition would gut the Act’s ability to protect species like monarchs, who depend entirely on specific habitats to survive.
Thank you for your leadership in protecting one of the most iconic and beloved pollinators in North America.
Every Species Matters
The USFWS is also considering listing the bleached sandhill skipper (Polites sabuleti sinemaculata), and Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus suckleyi).
The bleached sandhill skipper is known only to only live in Humboldt County, Nevada in salt flats with dense growth of Distichlis spicata (saltgrass), which probably serves as the larval hostplant. The skipper faces threats from declining groundwater levels due to agriculture use and a proposed geothermal energy project, habitat trampling by livestock grazing, and drought and increased heat due to climate change. Recent surveys have located fewer than 1,000 individuals annually.
Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee species historically occurred in healthy populations across large geographic areas; it was found in western Canada and the United States: southwestern Manitoba southwest to western South Dakota south to southern Colorado west to northern California north to the Yukon and Northwest Territories south to central British Columbia; a few populations have also been documented in eastern Canada.
This cuckoo bumble bee historically was found throughout Washington. Recent surveys reveal significant declines in their numbers, distribution, and ranges. Range-wide surveys in Washington detected this species in only six localities, including one near the far northeastern part of the state.
If you can, comment for these two species with your Monarch comments; it’s easy to do because they are on the same federal rule notice.
Take Action: Every Comment Counts
We’re up against powerful special interests that want to weaken the very tools we use to protect life on Earth. Your voice—alongside thousands of others—can make a real difference.
Submit your comments today, share this post widely, and let’s do everything we can to ensure that future generations can witness the miracle of the monarch butterfly.
