Legislation

§ 11-0541. Monarch preservation plan.

Beginning within one year of the effective date of this section, the
department shall take feasible actions to conserve monarch butterflies
and the unique habitats they depend upon for successful migration. These
actions may include, but are not limited to, habitat restoration on
department and state owned lands, education programs, and voluntary
agreements with private landowners. The department may partner with
federal agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic
programs, private landowners, and other entities that undertake actions
to conserve monarch butterflies and aid their successful migration. When
undertaking actions to conserve monarch butterflies and their habitats
pursuant to this section, the department shall use the best available
science and consider, as appropriate and feasible, all of the following:

1. restoring or revegetating monarch caterpillar habitat using
regionally or locally appropriate native milkweed species and native
nectar plant species;

2. controlling nonnative weed species that threaten native milkweed
species, and controlling pests and disease, using current best
management practices consistent with integrated pest management
principles that pose low risk to monarch butterflies and their habitat;

3. controlling pest management practices that may be harmful to
monarch butterflies, their food or their habitat;

4. incorporating diverse tree species, structures, and arrangements
when restoring or establishing winter habitat sites to match monarch
butterfly preferences for temperature, light, moisture, wind, and other
microclimate characteristics; and

5. increasing the number of partnerships and making the most of
partnerships to use residential and institutional landscaped areas,
agricultural non-cropped lands, transportation corridors, and
conservation easements to create, restore, or enhance monarch butterfly
habitat.