The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States dropped dramatically this year even as federal officials move to extend protections for the beloved pollinator. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation surveys overwintering sites along the California coast, northern Baja California and inland sites in California and Arizona. This year the organization counted 9,119 monarchs, the second-lowest total since tracking began in 1997. The organization has recorded more than 200,000 monarchs in each of the last three years. The society says monarchs are suffering from pesticides, habitat loss and climate change across their range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began the process of listing monarchs as threatened in December.
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