Napa RCD Joins the All Hands on Deck Effort to Support the Threatened Western Monarch Butterfly Population
Napa RCD has been awarded a grant from the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) to fund monarch conservation projects on agriculture lands in Napa County. Staff will provide free technical assistance to farmers and ranchers who want to create and restore monarch habitat on their land – helping with planning, design, compiling plant lists, securing plant funding, finding nurseries, planting, and more.The western monarch butterfly population has declined over 99% in the past 20 years. Western monarch counts in 2020 were the lowest yet, and the next several years will be a critical time to bring the butterflies back from their path to extinction. Researchers, including the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, have determined that the most important strategies to bolster the western monarch population include:
- protecting and restoring overwintering sites
- providing nectar resources along the migratory flyway
- increasing the availability of early-season native milkweed
“CARCD awarded this round of grants only to RCDs with strong proposals for projects located in the Priority 1 Restoration Zone, and they will provide technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to create and restore habitat appropriate for their locations,” said Karen Buhr, executive director of CARCD. “They will also convene regional monarch working groups to bring together members of their communities with knowledge about monarchs and a desire to get monarch conservation work done. Napa RCD already works directly with state, federal, and local agencies, landowners, communities, and other stakeholders on conservation activities, so they will be able to create working groups with the expertise and energy to amplify the impact of their work with farmers and ranchers.”
“Napa RCD is excited to be part of this effort to bring back the western monarch. By working with farmers and ranchers to carry out restoration projects specifically tailored to each property, we ensure our efforts are successful. When habitat for the western monarch is improved or created, there are multiple benefits across the whole ecosystem such as carbon sequestration and providing habitat for other beneficial insects and birds,” said Ruby Stahel, Conservation Project Manager at Napa RCD.
Keep in touch with our Facebook and Instagram, as we will be sharing pollinator resources all week for #PollinatorWeek!
If you are interested in a project on your property or would like to be involved with the monarch work group, contact Ruby Stahel at Ruby@NapaRCD.org