Imperiled monarch butterfly to get $3.2 million boost By Todd Leopold
The monarch butterfly has been hurt by habitat loss, environmental problems, and crop changes in recent years. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it is launching a campaign to save the butterfly. They are partnering with other groups such as the National Wildlife Foundation to raise awareness of the butterfly's problems. The Fish and Wildlife Service has begun its campaign with $1.2 million and will also provide $2 million to fund conservation projects. They plan to encourage "responsible gardening" and chemical pesticides. This effort couldn't have come at a better time because the amount of butterflies migrating has declined from 1 billion in 1996 to 33 million.
The Fish and Wildlife Service's campaign will drastically help the monarch butterfly population in the U.S. I think it is weird that they waited so long to conserve the butterfly population because it has clearly it has been in sharp decline for awhile. They could have prevented the decrease in monarchs if they had acted sooner. Also, I think its crazy how it takes millions of dollars just to raise awareness, but I still think it is a great cause. The Fish and Wildlife Service's efforts will hopefully help cultivate a rebirth of monarchs in the U.S.
I think that butterflies, like any other species, deserve to be preserved if their population is declining, so I'm glad that this is getting more awareness. Hopefully this campaign will help save the remaining monarch butterfly populations and prevent the possible extinction of the species.
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