WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Wildlife Federation issued the following statement today after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced an agreement to delay a decision on listing the Monarch Butterfly under the Endangered Species Act:

“All Americans can play a role in saving Monarch Butterflies, and the court delay does not change the urgency of collaborative conservation action” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “If anything the agreement highlights the opportunity and need for even more grassroots conservation efforts — including participation in the Mid-America Monarch Conservation Strategy, Garden for Wildlife, Community Wildlife Habitat, and Mayors' Monarch Pledge programs — alongside significant investments in conservation initiatives, such as the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. 

“The EPA also must address the undeniable effects pesticides are having on monarch populations and how conversion of important habitat to row crops — driven by policies like the Renewable Fuels Standard’s corn ethanol mandate — is destroying essential milkweed corridors in the monarch flyways.”