U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund – Region 5 States

Since the mid 1990�s, there has been a loss of approximately 165 million acres of habitat and an estimated 50 percent decline in the population of monarch butterflies in some regions of the United States. The Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund (Fund) is an effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to increase monarch butterfly populations and the native habitat upon which they depend. The Fund supports the Federal commitment to add 10 million acres of monarch butterfly habitat in the continental U.S. and increase monarch populations to viable and sustainable levels throughout their range. This opportunity builds on the previous efforts of the Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Monarch Joint Venture, and other entities, and implements guidance from the North American Monarch Conservation Plan.

The R5 Northeast State Grants will focus on state-owned lands with potential monarch habitat in the coastal migration corridor to help ensure continuity of habitat along the essential migration route. The grants will also place priority upon lands in proximity to urban areas and National Wildlife Refuge System lands to help link habitat projects with opportunities for public education about monarchs and other critical pollinators. In particular, the Fund seeks to increase the availability of regionally specific native milkweed and nectar forage plants to provide food along the monarch migration corridor.