SIGN UP FOR BREAKING NEWS Get local stories sent straight to your inbox as news breaks. Submit Privacy Notice

Butterfly summit held in midst of Monarch crisis Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Hide Transcript Show Transcript

NEW AT 6...THE PLIGHT OF THE WESTERN MONARCH. THE SPECIES HAS BEEN IN A STEADY DECLINE FOR TWO DECADES... BUT IN THE LAST YEAR THERE HAS BEEN A DRASTIC DROP IN THE POPULATION. ACTION NEWS REPORTER CAITLIN CONRAD JOINS US LIVE FROM MONTEREY WHERE A FIRST EVER SUMMIT IS BEING HELD WITH BUTTERFLY CONSERVATIONS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ERIN THE MONARCH HAS SAW A 90 PERCENT DECREASE IN POPULATION BETWEEN 1997 AND 2018 ... AND THEN LAST WINTER THEIR NUMBERS TOOK ANOTHER 90 PERCENT DROP. ATTENDEES AT THIS WEEKEND'S CONFERENCE WANT TO REVERSE THAT TREND. THE PLIGHT OF THE WESTERN MONARCH IS DIRE. THE SPECIES HAS SEEN A 99 PERCENT DECLINE SINCE 1997 AND CONSERVATIONISTS SAY THE POPULATION CANNOT SURVIVE IF CURRENT TRENDS CONTINUE. JUAN GOVEA 0637 2:22 IT'S GRIM IT WOULD PROBABLY MEAN EXTINCTION OF THE WESTERN MONARCH. IN 1997 THERE 45 THOUSAND MONARCHS COUNTED AT THE BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY IN PACIFIC GROVE ALONE... JUAN GOVEA 0637 00:35 THAT HAS DROP PRECIPITOUSLY SEVERAL TIMES BUT LAST YEAR 2017-2019 WE GOT DOWN TO 700 BUTTERFLIES 800 BUTTERFLIES AND THIS YEAR WE HAVE SEEN A MAXIMUM OF 600 BUTTERFLIES 642 SO IT IS JUST AN AMAZING NUMERICAL DROP BETWEEN 1997 AND 2018 THE POPULATION SAW A 90 PERCENT DECLINE... AND THEN LAST WINTER THERE WAS A DRASTIC DROP IN TH COUNT... AND BUTTERFLY EXPERTS DON'T KNOW WHY. ROBERT COFFAN 0624 3:49 WHY DID THE POPULATION THAT WAS ALREADY LOW PLUMMET BY A FACTOR OF TEN? TEN TIMES LOWER IN ONE YEAR ROBERT COFFAN WITH WESTERN MONARCH ADVOCATES IS IN TOWN FROM OREGON TH WEEK FOR THE FIRST EVER MONARCH SUMMIT. BUTTERFLY LOVERS FROM MASSACHUSETTS TO HAWAII HAVE FLOWN IN FOR THE SOLD-OUT EVENT ... THE GOAL? TO FIND A WAY TO SAVE THE CREATURES THEY LOVE SO MUCH. AMANDA EGERTSON 062 2:00 IT'S BEAUTIFUL IT LOOKS LIKE STAINED GLASS ON WINGS. AMANDA EGERTSON WITH THE DESCHUTTES LAND TRUST CAME IN FROM BEND OREGON TO SHARE WHAT HER TEAM IS DOING TO SAVE MONARCHS. AMANDA EGERTSON 062 1:00 WE'RE DOING HAS MUCH HABITAT CONSERVATION AS WE CAN INCLUDING PLANTING A LOT OF NATIVE SHOWY AND LARRO LEAF MILK WEEK AS WELL AS A LOT OF OTHER POLLINATOR FRIENDLY PLANTS. THOUGH THE OUTLOOK FOR THE BUTTERFLY IS BLEAK THERE ARE ALSO SUCCESS STORIES BEING SHARED AT THE SUMMIT. DENNIS TRIGALIA LOVES MONARCHS AND HIS PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON CAPTIVE REARING AT MONARCH WAYSTATIONS ON THE OREGON COAST. DENNIS TRIGALIA 0621 00:45 ONLY 2-5% OF MONARCHS THAT ARE REARED IN THE WILD MAKE IT TO BECOME A BUTTERFLY WHEREAS WE CAN HAVE ABOUT 90% VIABILITY IN CAPTIVE REARING THIS PAST YEAR TRIGALIA ORGANIZED A STATEWIDE BUTTERFLY RESCUE OPERATION.... WHEN HUNDREDS OF MONARCH EGGS WERE LAID IN HIS COLLEAGUE'S BACKYARD IN BROOKINGS .. TRIGALIA GOT THE WORD OUT HELPING TO DELIVER EGGS AND CATERPILLARS TO PEOPLE AROUND THE STATE WHO SHELTERED THEM INTO BUTTERFLIES. DENNIS TRIGALIA 0621 IT WAS REALLY NICE BECAUSE WE GOT TO MEET ALL OF THESE REALLY GREAT PEOPLE AND THEY CAME FROM AS FAR AWAY AS PORTLAND AND BEND AND SALEM AND CORVALLIS AND ALL OF THE ROGUE VALLEY THE DECLINE OF THE MONARCH HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO A HOST OF ILLS FROM CLIMATE CHANGE TO PESTICIDES ... AND SUMMIT ORGANIZERS SAY IT IS GOING TO TAKE A HOST OF SOLUTIONS TO SAVE THE SPECIES FROM EXTINCTION. 4:45 I HOPE THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES OUT OF THIS SUMMIT ARE THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE OFF IN THEIR OWN AREAS ARE GOING TO COME UP WITH WHAT ARE SOME OF THE REAL ISSUES AND IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REAL ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ARE WHAT CAN WE DO TO WORK TOGETHER TO FIND OUT. WE KNOW MONARCHS HAVE BEEN ON THE DECLINE FOR DECADES BUT THIS RECENT AND DRASTIC DROP HAS CONSERVATIONISTS WORRIED AND AGAIN THEY DON'T KNOW WHY IT IS HAPPENING,. ERIN/DAN. A REMINDER THE SUMMIT THIS WEEKEND IS SOLD OUT. ##