The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing protection for the monarch butterfly and is seeking input on a proposal to list the species as threatened with species-specific protections and flexibilities to encourage conservation. Public comments will be accepted on the proposal until March 12, 2025.  The Service will then evaluate the comments and any additional information on the species and determine whether to list the monarch butterfly.  In North America, monarchs are grouped into two long-distance migratory populations. The eastern migratory population is the largest and overwinters in the mountains of central Mexico. The western migratory population primarily overwinters in coastal California. In the 1980s, over 4.5 million western monarchs flocked to overwintering grounds in coastal California. In the mid-1990s, an estimated 380 million eastern monarchs made the long-distance journey to overwintering grounds in Mexico, completing one of the longest insect migrations in the world.  According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80% today. The western migratory population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080. During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56 to 74%, according to the Service’s most recent species status assessment.  To assist with monarch conservation efforts, the Service is also proposing critical habitat for the species at a portion of its overwintering sites in coastal California. In total, the Service is proposing 4,395 acres of critical habitat for the western migratory monarch population across Alameda, Marin, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties in California. A critical habitat designation imposes no requirements on state or private land unless the action involves federal funding, permits or approvals.  A 90-day comment period will open on December 12, 2024, and will close on March 12, 2025.