"The monarch butterfly was turned down by the Trump administration on Tuesday when the government declined to use the powers of the Endangered Species Act to help save it from extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruled against listing the monarch butterfly as “threatened” under the act — a decision that might have led to protections for the migratory insect’s habitat that for decades has been degraded or replaced by development.

The monarch butterfly had been a common presence in Oregon, part of its West Coast range and one of the insect’s several ranges in North America. It’s still seen here but less frequently than in previous years, just as is the case everywhere that scientists have documented its crashing population."

Monica Samayoa reports for Oregon Public Broadcasting December 15, 2020. [2]