Take Flight 2024 Partners Meeting
September 5, 2024 - September 12, 2024
3-day Virtual Meeting (Sept 5, Sept 10, and Sept 12)
The WMNIP Working Group will host the Take Flight 2024 virtual three-day partners meeting in September 2024. The meeting will review WAFWA Western Monarch Conservation Plan (WMCP) advancements and implementation, discuss future monarch conservation priorities and revisions, and emphasize the WMCP as a roadmap amid possible monarch listing. Additionally, it will introduce collaborative efforts aimed at regional native insect pollinator conservation beyond monarchs, including the development of a west-wide bumble bee conservation strategy."
Hosted by WAFWA’s Western Monarch and Native Insect Pollinator (WNMIP) Working Group
The WMNIP Working Group hosts the Take Flight 2024 virtual partners meeting in September 2024 to review advancements in the implementation of the WAFWA Western Monarch Conservation Plan (WMCP), discuss future monarch conservation priorities and WMCP revisions, and continue development of a west-wide bumble bee conservation strategy.
Schedule of events
This virtual meeting will span three days:
September 5, September 10, and September 12.
Each day will run from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Registration
Registration is now closed.
Those who registered should have received an email from MonarchRecovery@nwf.org on 9/4. Please check your spam folder if you haven’t seen it.
If you have not done so already, please complete the participant questionnaire.
Partnerships in WMCP Implementation:
Take Flight 2024 convenes partners representing diverse sectors to showcase collaborative efforts implementing the WMCP. Presentations will highlight best practices, lessons learned, identify barriers, and explore innovative methods for addressing key objectives in western monarch conservation.
Next Steps in WMCP Implementation and Revision:
Timed around the anticipated USFWS decision on federally listing the monarch butterfly, Take Flight 2024 includes a discussion panel with the USFWS to understand possible listing scenarios and explore next steps. The subsequent breakout sections will review the strategies outlined in the WMCP, fine-tune partner needs, and solicit partner feedback to incorporate into the upcoming WMCP 5-year revision process.
Pollinator Conservation Beyond Monarchs:
The WMNIP working group’s 3-year plan guides native insect pollinator conservation. Take Flight 2024 spotlights initiatives for mainstreaming pollinators, monitoring native bees, and assessing butterfly conservation statuses. The meeting also advances WMNIP development of a west-wide bumble bee conservation strategy. Take Flight 2024 aims to elevate issues, find common goals, and promote consistent approaches through collaborative partnerships, diverse expertise, and innovative methods to reverse native insect pollinator declines.
Encouraged Attendees:
The meeting welcomes representatives and coordinators from key stakeholder groups involved in insect pollinator conservation, habitat restoration, research, outreach, and policy development. Conservation planners and leaders from federal and Western state agencies, Tribal governments, nonprofits, agriculture, urban planning, and rights-of-way management are encouraged to attend.
A Special Thank You To Our Contributing Partners
Workshop Agenda
Take Flight 2024 Virtual Partners Workshop – Sept 5, Sept 10, Sept 12
Thursday, September 5, 2024 – Day 1: Highlighting Partnerships in WMCP Implementation
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
- 9:00 AM – Introduction (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
- 9:15 AM – Collective Action in State-Level Initiatives
- WMNIP State-Level Commitments to WMCP (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
- California MOG Collaborative Action Group (Hillary Sardiñas, CDFW)
- Arizona Monarch Collaborative (Kim Pergram and Irene Dickenson, DBG)
- Motus for Monarchs (Multi-State Project) (Taylor Cotten (WDFW)
- Panel Discussion Session
- 10:20 AM – Break (10 min)
- 10:30 AM – Federal Partnership Programs
- USFWS Western Monarch Conservation (Samantha Marum, USFWS)
- BLM Partnerships in Pollinator Conservation (Brad Jost, BLM)
- USFS Partnerships in Monarch Conservation (Matt Horning, USFW)
- NRCS Pollinator Conservation Activities on Working Lands (Amanda Moore, NRCS)
- Panel Q&A Session
- 11:25 AM – NGO-Led Collective Efforts
- Western Monarch and Pollinator Conservation (Sarina Jepson, Xerces Society)
- Pollinator Conservation Across North America (Kelly Bills, Pollinator Partnership)
- Tri-National Monarch Conservation (Rebeca Quiñonez-Piñón, National Wildlife Federation)
- Boots on the Ground: Conservation Collaborations (Sarah Gomes, Monarch Joint Venture)
- 12:25 PM – Community-Led Coalitions
- It Takes a Village (Rachel Taylor and Gail Morris, Utah Friends of Monarchs, Southwest Monarch Study)
- 12:40 PM – Discussion Session with Afternoon Panelists
- 12:55 PM – Closing – Wrap-up, What’s Next for Days 2 & 3 (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
Tuesday, September 10, 2024 – Day 2: Next Steps in Western Monarch Conservation
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
- 9:00 AM – Recap of Day 1, Day 2 Format & Participant Involvement (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
- 9:10 AM – Opening Remarks by Senator Jeff Merkley (OR) – Advancing Policy to Protect Monarchs and Native Insect Pollinators
- 9:20 AM – “ESA 101” Demystifying a Federal Species Listing (Panel Discussion)
- ESA & the Monarch Butterfly (Cat Darst, USFWS)
- Insect Pollinators & the ESA (Jeff Everett, USFWS)
- Recovery & Downlisting of the Fender’s blue butterfly (Cheryl Schultz, Washington State University and Jennifer Siani, USFWS)
- Panel Q&A Session
- 10:50 AM – Break (10 min)
- 11:00 AM – Incorporating Partner Needs into the WMCP Revision
- Updated Western Monarch Population Goals & Objectives (Emma Pelton, Xerces Society)
- CARCD Tribal Liaison Program (Heather Bernikoff, CARCD)
- Insecticides in the West (Aimee Code, Xerces Society)
- Climate Change in Western Butterflies (Matt Forister, University of Nevada, Reno)
- 12:00 PM – Breakout Discussion
- 12:40 PM – Group Share
- 12:55 PM – Closing – Wrap-up, What’s Next for Day 3 (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
Thursday, September 12, 2024 – Day 3: Elevating Conservation Needs & Strategies for Other Native Insect Pollinators
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Pacific Time
- 9:00 AM – Recap of Days 1 & 2, Day 3 Format & Participant Involvement, and 3-year Work Plan Overview (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
- 9:15 AM – Advancing Insect Pollinator Conservation: Integrating Priorities, Monitoring, and Broader Ecological Benefits
- State of the Butterflies of the US (SBUS) (Cheryl Schultz, WSU)
- The State of the Bees (Saff Killingsworth, Xerces Society)
- RCN National Bee Monitoring (Hollis Woodard, University of California, Riverside)
- Pollinator Habitat Prioritization Tool (Chelsea Sink, USFWS)
- Mapping Co-benefits of Monarch Conservation (Melissa Burns, USFWS)
- 10:50 AM – Break (10 min)
- 11:00 AM – Developing Westwide Bumble Bee Conservation Strategies
- WMNIP Work Plan Goal: Western States Bumble Bee Conservation Plan (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
- Bumble Bee Basics (Jon Koch, USDA-ARS Pollinating Insect Research Unit)
- Bumble Bees: State of the Data (Rich Hatfield, Xerces Society)
- Threats to Bumble Bees (Learning from Bombus occidentalis) (Will Janousek, USGS)
- Using Atlas Data to Inform Statewide Conservation Targets (Molly Martin, Xerces Society)
- Bumble Bee Conservation Benefits Agreement (Megan Petraitis, Energy Resources Center)
- Panel Q&A Session
- 12:15 PM – Breakout Discussion
- 12:45 PM – Closing – Group Share & Wrap-up, Next Steps, and Heartfelt Thanks! (Amanda Barth, WMNIP Chair, Utah State)
Participant Questionnaire
In preparation for our upcoming Take Flight 2024 virtual partners meeting (Sept 5, 10, & 12), we are asking for thoughts and feedback from our partners and attendees. This brief questionnaire has two portions: 1.) questions focused on western monarch conservation and the value of the 50-year Western Monarch Conservation Plan (WMCP), and 2.) questions pertaining to native insect pollinator conservation in the West.
The responses will be de-identified, compiled, and shared to help create a common foundation and kick off discussions. Please respond to at least one or both questionnaire portions as applicable. Your registration and questionnaire responses are due by Friday, August 16, 2024. Thank you in advance for your time and input!
1.) Does your work involve any aspects of western monarch conservation?
- What do you see as our greatest success for western monarch conservation? How does this reflect strengths in the Western Monarch Conservation Plan (WMCP)?
- In the current WMCP, what are the main gaps that should be addressed in the 2025 revision?
- Please list any updates that the WMCP should include in the 2025 revision
- What do you see as the most important area we should invest in for western monarch conservation in the next 5 years?
- What do you see as the most urgent need for western monarch conservation now?
- Given the anticipated monarch listing decision, what are your concerns in terms of conservation rules if the monarch is or isn’t listed under the Endangered Species Act?
- Please use this space if there is anything else you would like to share or expand on (e.g., capacity gaps/needs, new ideas for western monarch conservation, etc).
2.) Does your work involve any aspects of native insect pollinator conservation (aside from monarchs)?
- What are the biggest needs/concerns related to native insect pollinators from your perspective?
- What do you think are the biggest opportunities to accomplish pollinator conservation targets in the short-term (1-3 years)?
- From your perspective, what is the most significant challenge associated with successful native insect pollinator conservation across the Western region?
- At the state level?
- At the local/community level?
- What do you think are the most significant scientific gaps in pollinator conservation?
- What would you highlight as a successful partnership, project, or approach in native insect pollinator conservation that could serve as a model to other efforts?