Public Comment

From Mary McAllister:

The author of the article and associated petition about monarch butterflies does not seem to be aware of the fact that monarchs in California do not migrate to Mexico. In fact, they spend their winter diapause here in California. All monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains come to the coast of California for their winter roost. Seventy-five percent of the monarchs in the California migration roost in eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is particularly valuable for their winter roost because it also provides nectar in the winter when little else is in flower. The California monarch migration has dwindled, just as the migration to Mexico has, but the eradication of eucalyptus along the California coast is just as important a factor as the availability of milkweed. The prejudice against eucalyptus is so strong that this is never mentioned by organizations such as The Center for Biological Diversity. Unfortunately their misguided advocacy is therefore contributing to the demise of monarchs in California. Nativism is killing wildlife. Wildlife does not care if plants are native.

Response from Gar Smith: 

Mary McAllister is correct. California is the overwintering site for millions of monarchs found west of the rockies. My petition was directed to a national audience. It addressed the larger migration of monarchs from Mexico to the Midwest. The plight of the smaller monarch migration does not get the attention it deserves. Even the Center for Food Safety's just-released 88-page report places its focus on the larger Mexico-to-Midwest migration. Unfortunately, some people view eucalyptus as a "nuisance plant" -- like milkweed. It we want to save the western monarchs, we need to protect eucalyptus as well as milkweed. Because the western migration is unique -- and similarly endangered -- it deserves its own petition. In the meantime, thanks for reading and signing the Midwest-Monarch-Milkweed-Monsanto petition.