The Daily Fuckup

The monarch butterfly remains in regulatory limbo. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed on Dec. 12, 2024, to list the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and to designate critical habitat in parts of California. The agency later reopened the public comment period on March 19, 2025, giving the public another chance to weigh in through May 19, 2025. A final listing decision has not been announced. ([fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/endangered-species-act-protection-monarch-butterfly?utm_source=openai))

The proposal would not automatically protect monarchs on its own. It is the draft rule that the agency is still reviewing, along with public comments and supporting material, before deciding whether to finalize the threatened listing and the related 4(d) protections and critical-habitat designation. The Service says the proposal includes about 4,395 acres of proposed critical habitat in coastal California overwintering areas. ([fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov/question-answer/questions-and-answers-proposal-list-monarch-butterfly-threatened-under-endangered?utm_source=openai))

The species has been under pressure for years from habitat loss, reduced milkweed availability and other long-running stressors, which is why the agency said in December that the butterfly met the standard for threatened status. But the record now shows a simple fact: the proposal exists, the comment period has been reopened, and the government has still not published a final answer. ([fws.gov](https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-12/endangered-species-act-protection-monarch-butterfly?utm_source=openai))