Press Releases

Columbia, MO, July 21, 2022- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on July 21, 2022, that the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus plexippus) has entered the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Endangered. This listing will be the first time the monarch butterfly has officially been declared at risk of extinction. The IUCN is the leading global authority on the status of biological diversity. The IUCN Red List is one of many tools utilized in decision-making processes for public, private, and non-governmental organizations. This new listing has not changed the United States federal listing status of the monarch butterfly.

During the second half of December 2021, 10 colonies of Monarch Butterflies were registered covering 2.835 hectares (ha) of forest, this represents a 35% increase in relation to the area registered in 2020 (2.10 ha). Six colonies covering 2.174 ha were located inside the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) and four covering 0.661 ha were located outside the MBBR, five of those colonies were located in Michoacan, and five in the State of Mexico. In Atlualta, east of the State of Mexico, butterflies were present, however, no colony was established.

Read the full release at HERE

NRCS in Missouri encourages landowners in Northwest Missouri to apply for funding through the Program Restoring and Improving Monarch Ecosystems (PRIME) by May 20, 2022.  

September 9, 2021- Hand-rearing comes with many risks and should be done on a very limited basis.

May 1, 2020- The Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative recently named Elizabeth Peoples as their Communication Coordinator.

February 6, 2019- The Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative was presented the G. Andy Runge Award at the Missouri Natural Resources Conference in Osage Beach. The Missouri Chapter of The Wildlife Society presents the G. Andy Runge Award to organizations that “positively and significantly impact wildlife conservation in Missouri.”

December 8, 2017- The Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative recently named Donnamarie Duffin as their Monarch and Pollinator Coordinator.