Marin Monarch Working Group
Western monarch butterflies used to be a common sight in Marin. But the Western monarch population has declined by more than 95% since the 1990s.
The recent 29th Western Monarch Count confirmed this ongoing trend toward extinction. Approximately 12,260 monarchs were recorded, the third-lowest tally since the count began in 1997.
Causes of this decline include climate change, habitat loss, natural predators, and pesticide use.
It’s not too late to act…but the time to act is now.
Join the Marin Monarch Working Group to learn how you can help the monarch!
Who We Are
The Marin Monarch Working Group was established in 2019 to address the existential crisis facing the western monarch, one of California’s most iconic creatures.
We call on educators, biologists and botanists, gardeners and monarch lovers to join us and learn how to become involved in supporting the survival of the Western monarch butterfly.
Public Education and Advocacy
We disseminate science-based information about monarchs via our newsletter, website, social media, on-line meetings, and tabling at local events. We guide local residents’ outreach to local and state officials about policies and practices for helping monarchs.
Community Science
Community science draws upon data collected by community members trained to observe and create a record of their observations. We connect local monarch lovers with training and monitoring opportunities led by MMWG co-founder, Mia Monroe.
Habitat Restoration
We take on projects to create and restore monarch habitats in private and public spaces. And we work with other groups engaging in this important work.
Three Things You Can Do Now to Help the Monarchs:
Create habitat, Engage in community science, and Advocate for government protection
There are many ways to help create monarch habitat…If you have any yard space — large or small — you can create an oasis for monarchs as they migrate east in the summer and return to the coast in the fall.
Check out these handouts for some ideas on how to get started. The Home Gardens section of this website gives lots of guidance on the whole process.
Backyard Garden Plants for Inland areas. This guide provides information about 16 nectar-rich plants whose flowers bloom from early spring through fall.
Example of a Butterfly Waystation and Pollinator Garden. This handout will show you how to design a garden for butterflies migrating through the county. You’ll see 12 plants that they really like, along with information about growing native milkweed from seed.
Help Monarch Butterflies in Coastal Marin by Planting Fall and Winter Blooming California Native Nectar Plants. If you live within a mile of the coast, the planting routines are different than those appropriate for inland residents. In the winter, monarchs are in a period of diapause. That is, they are resting and are not supposed to be reproducing. So they only need nectar plants that bloom in late fall, winter, and early spring. And they do NOT need milkweed, because they are not supposed to bringing caterpillars into the world until they migrate inland during the spring.
Here’s one opportunity to get you started:
Bioblitz Field Trip in Novato on August 4
MMWG and Home Ground Habitats invite you to monitor and document monarch butterflies in several locations in the Novato area.
No experience necessary — we will provide training for those who are new to this activity.
And participants will meet afterwards at Home Ground Habitats for lunch sponsored by MMWG!
Second Way to Help: Engage in Community Science Projects
Here is the plan:
9:00 Meet at Home Ground Habitats in Novato (or meet at first site at 9:30)
9:30 Meet at Deer Island Preserve to receive a Bioblitz training overview
10:30 Meet at Pacheco Valle Biodiversity Project and County Meadow Project to view monarch habitat
11:30 Meet at Pollinator Gardens at Marin Humane (sponsored by MMWG and HGH in collaboration with Marin Humane)
12:30 Return to Home Ground Habitats for lunch provided by the Marin Monarch Working Group
Note: You are welcome to join us for all or part of the event. If you don’t plan to carpool from Home Ground Habitats, you can meet the group at any of the sites but note that we may not be able to follow the schedule exactly as planned. If you park at Home Ground Habitats, please park in the pullouts in front of the nursery on Indian Valley Road. Please do not park on SloDown Court.
Interested?
To attend, you must RSVP to Audrey Fusco: audrey@homegroundhabitats.org
Brush Up on Your Identification Skills with this Guide to Local Butterflies and their Favorite Host Plants
Community science is easier when you have some identification skills. We have a handout to help you. The first page shows the different butterflies and the second page tells you which host plants they really love.
Third Thing You Can Do to Help:
Advocate for National and State Policies to Help Monarchs
The Western monarch population has declined by more than 95% since the 1990s. This graph of data from the most recent Western Monarch Count by Xerces confirmed this ongoing trend toward extinction.
But the US has not yet taken action to protect the monarch!
In December of 2024, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The Department of the Interior was expected to finalize a listing within one year of proposing it but did not do so.
Then, on July 10 of 2026, the Trump administration finalized a rollback of the Endangered Species Act, paving the way for drilling, mining, and other activities in protected wildlife habitats. The original law prohibited injuring or killing wildlife as well as destroying protected habitats. Under the new rule, destroying those habitats is no longer illegal.
But perhaps we can take heart by reading this article in which Law Professor Emeritus Patrick Parenteau argues that the Trump administration’s rule will not hold up in court. His article is detailed and authoritative, and concludes with this statement: “The stakes are huge for the nation’s most imperiled species. Over two-thirds of listed species depend on nonfederal land for their survival and recovery. The harm rule is the single most important reason they are still alive and have a chance of recovery.”
Here is How You Can Advocate for Monarchs and other Endangered Species
At the State Level:
On May 18th, the California Assembly passed a bill designed to strengthen protections for coastal monarch butterfly overwintering habitat in the State. On July 1 the bill was considered by the Senate Local Government Committee, where it passed unanimously and was sent to the Appropriations Committee.
The Coastal Monarch Protection Act, AB 2254, was authored by Assembly member Dawn Addis, D-Morrow Bay. Addis represents Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Luis Obispo counties, home to more than 450 overwintering sites.
AB 2254 would require coastal cities to include strong monarch habitat protections in their local coastal plans, and directs the California Coastal Commission to provide model policies to guide those efforts.
The Xerces Society describes this bill as “a practical, collaborative solution…to protect monarch overwintering habitat, incorporating those protections into Local Coastal Programs, and providing clear guidance to local governments while maintaining flexibility.”
Contact our local State Senator Mike McGuire to voice your support for the bill:
Senator Mike McGuire 369B Third Street San Rafael CA 94904
(707) 838-3279
At the National Level: Join the Endangered Species Coalition Activist Network.
Sign up to be updated with ways you can take action to protect endangered and threatened species and the Endangered Species Act.
https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-the-endangered-species-coalition-activist-network?source=email&
JOIN US! Sign up below for our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter for up-to-date information on the monarchs’ status and suggestions for actions you can take to safeguard their welfare. We will let you about local habitat restoration projects, citizen science opportunities, and ways to advocate at the county, state, and national levels.
WE WELCOME DONATIONS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK. The MMWG is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization and your donations are tax deductible. Our EIN number is 41-4705785.
Donated funds are used to cover purchases like plants for restoration projects and materials for the production of our handouts.
To contribute, send a check made out to the Marin Monarch Working Group to PO Box 242, Inverness CA 94937.
Or click on the Donate button below.