California Assemblymember Dawn Addis has introduced a resolution that would make the week of July 14-18 California western monarch protection week.
This comes after a winter where according to Xeres Society, monarch numbers in Pismo Beach were just 556, a fraction of the more than 16 thousand butterflies counted in 2023.
Gianna Holiday is a recent environmental science graduate and said she is saddened by the steep decline.
“It's really upsetting, especially for the monarchs,” Holiday said. “They're such a charismatic creature. Everybody knows what they are and seeing them have such steep declines in such a short amount of time, it's really depressing and it makes you want to do something about it.”
Addis states that establishing a protection week calls attention to the urgent need to conserve monarchs and their habitats.
Others agree.
“I think a big problem is the fact that not many people really know about it, or, like, how to protect them,” Holiday said. “They might know and like, okay, butterflies are decreasing. What do we do about it?”
Dr. Mary Read was visiting the Pismo Beach Monarch Grove on Friday morning and said awareness makes people want to take action.
“If people get connected with the natural world, they'll be more likely to want to protect it and to notice when things are not going well, that the population has gone down,” Read said.
The monarch butterfly grove in Pismo Beach is known for historically hosting thousands of monarch butterflies every winter. With numbers there now declining, visitors tell me they worry about the overall population.
“If we're seeing a decline in the majority area, it is a sign of worse areas and parts to come,” said Wes Paluck Pismo Grove visitor.
He said he believes a protection week for butterflies could open the door for a larger conversation around protecting all pollinators.
“Starting with those ones that people do like, you can start to branch out to the ones that are also really important that people don't really like so much,“ Paluck said.
Others said protecting butterflies means helping the planet.
“Bringing butterflies back means we're bringing back the health of the planet – and we only have one mama,” Read said.
