On December 10th, 2024, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced its intention to list monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. It was just over 50 years ago that infamous president Richard Nixon signed the ESA into law. At the time, The United States Supreme Court deemed the law “the most comprehensive of its type to be enacted by any nation.” On one hand, the law focuses on individual species; on the other, it explicitly protects those species to preserve functioning ecosystems, not just the plants or animals that are under threat.

Since we’re in the 90 day comment period before monarchs would officially be listed, I thought I would publicly offer my thoughts. I couldn’t love the creatures more; they are the subject of my life’s work, and they are an icon of nature. Some have called them the Bambi of the insect world.

Listing monarchs under the ESA would raise awareness, protect habitat for other important species and send a message about how we value and must continue to protect nature. But science and symbolism aren’t always on the same page. And while I support seizing those........

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