The marvelous orange and black insect we all know and love, monarch butterflies, are in severe decline. But there's hope: A decade after the Center and allies petitioned to protect monarchs under the Endangered Species Act, the USFWS has *finally* proposed the iconic butterflies for protection as a threatened species. The western monarch population, which winters on the coast of California, has fallen by 95%. The eastern population, which migrates to Mexico for the winter, is at its second-smallest size ever recorded last year. This year’s records show the population doubled in size — which is hopeful, but also still too low to be considered a stable population. We can't let monarchs go extinct. 🦋 Protecting them will also benefit the pollinator communities that humans and wild ecosystems depend on. #monarchbutterfly #butterflies #insects #wildlifeconservation #environmentalconservation #pollinator