N.J. efforts astir to help monarch butterflies rebound

CAPE MAY - Many of them begin the 2,000-mile transcontinental journey in Canada and arrive in New Jersey every September and October on the way to their wintering grounds in Mexico.

Delicate and weighing only a half gram, hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies - with colorful wings like stained-glass windows - pause in Cape May before crossing the Delaware Bay.

But in recent years, their numbers have declined in New Jersey, and over the last 20 years, they've dropped by more than 90 percent at their final destination, Mexico's mountains, said the Monarch Monitoring Project, a research and education program run through the New Jersey Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory.

As part of the 25th year of the project's fall survey in Cape May, volunteers and interns are now taking a census of the monarchs and tagging some to better understand their movements.

"Last year's numbers were discouraging," said Mark Garland, a project spokesman, naturalist, and researcher. This year, with the census still underway, "they've also been low - so far."

But Garland says there's hope.

The losses - which haven't been as great in New Jersey as in the nation's farm belt or Mexico - can be reduced by providing butterfly habitats and improving the public's awareness of the monarch's needs.

"New Jersey can help keep the species alive," Garland said.

New Jersey Audubon is supporting a series of bills introduced in the legislature to help the butterflies. Two measures focus on the monarchs, while others benefit other pollinator species.

"Butterfly population decline is an important indicator of ecosystem health," said Assemblyman Timothy Eustace (D., Bergen and Passaic), sponsor of several butterfly bills.

"Drastic reductions in certain species of bee and bat populations have demonstrated there are unforeseen consequences to a single species decline, and this legislation lends a helping hand to Monarchs," Eustace said.

One of the reasons for the falloff of the butterfly population can be traced to the widespread loss of milkweed. The plant is not a weed, but a native perennial, providing food for monarch caterpillars with its leaves, and nectar for adult butterflies through its bright flowers, officials said.

Monarch caterpillars depend on milkweed to lay their eggs. But the number of plants has dropped off because of widespread herbicide use in agriculture, the loss of agricultural lands and open space to development, and landscaping practices that favor short lawns rather than taller native vegetation.

"Monarchs are one of our most visible and well-known butterflies, and their migratory journey is captivating," said Dale Rosselet, New Jersey Audubon's vice president for education. "With just a little bit of understanding and planning we can make a great contribution to their survival by providing the one essential plant they need - milkweed."

One bill introduced in June would establish an "Adopt a Monarch Butterfly Waystation" to provide resources and coordination for planting milkweed on public lands and parks.

Another would establish a "Milkweed for Monarchs" program, focusing efforts on drainage basins that could provide ideal growth opportunities for milkweed.

A separate proposal calls for an "Integrated Roadside Vegetation Management Program," creating better habitats for flowering plant species such as milkweed and others that provide sources of nectar along highways. Current mowing practices cut plants before they're able to bloom and provide nectar for butterflies and other pollinators.

"By making milkweed more available on public lands, parks, roadsides, and in private yards and gardens, monarchs will have a better chance for long-term survival," said Megan Tinlsey, a New Jersey Audubon conservation advocate.

Anyone can get involved, officials said. "Individual citizens can make a difference by participating in an adopt a waystation or drainage basin, as well as planting milkweed in their yards or community spaces so monarchs will have a place to feed and lay their eggs," said Gretchen Whitman, New Jersey Audubon's sanctuary director at the Nature Center of Cape May.

New Jersey Audubon also supports legislation that would remove barriers to property owners cultivating habitat, including flowering plants such as milkweed.

The Private Wildlife Habitat Certification bill would provide homeowners with a defense against nuisance complaints and code violations lodged against them because of native vegetation that provides sources of nectar, seeds, and berries.

"While our data from the Atlantic coast migration doesn't reflect the drastic decline in monarch numbers seen in other parts of North America, we have seen a decline in milkweed patches which could have far-reaching consequences for long-term population health," said Dick Walton, director of the Monarch Monitoring Project.