Bees and Butterflies in Roadside Habitats: Identifying Patterns, Protecting Monarchs, and Informing Management

The monarch butterfly is listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need by the Idaho Department of Game and Fish. Since the 1980s, the western U.S. monarch population has declined by 99 percent. Due to the overall declines in the monarch populations, the monarch butterfly has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). If the monarch butterfly is listed threatened or endangered, this will bring additional regulations and restrictions to activities performed in transportation and energy/utility right of ways (ROWs). Many factors have contributed to the monarch decline, but habitat loss and fragmentation is the most detrimental. Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) manages an estimated 82,000 acres of ROW land across the state. The primary goals of this project are to better understand (1) the distribution of monarch butterflies and other pollinators in ITD ROWs, (2) existing and potential habitat for these species in the ROWs, and management practices the department can utilize to support conservation of the monarch and other pollinator species. This study will focus primarily on the Snake River Plain in Idaho. The objectives of this project include: (1) Expanding on preliminary information collected in Monarch habitat in Idaho and specifically focus on ITD Right-of-Ways (ROWs). (2) Identifying the relative amount of monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, as well as nectar plants using a field-based approach. (3) Assessing pollinator plant abundance including milkweed species and important nectar plant species. (4) Assessing best management practices to support Monarchs and pollinators in ITD ROWs

• Record URL:
  https://apps.itd.idaho.gov/apps/research/Completed/RP291.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/18055
• Record URL:
  https://scholarworks.montana.edu/xmlui/handle/1/18055?show=full
• 

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $144208
• Contract Numbers:

  RP 291

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Idaho Transportation Department

  P.O. Box 7129, 3311 West State Street
  Boise, ID  United States  83707-1129
• Project Managers:

  Ford, Cathy

• Principal Investigators:

  Debinski, Diane

  Ament, Rob

  Burkle, Laura

• Start Date: 20200902
• Expected Completion Date: 20230228
• Actual Completion Date: 20230810

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Habitat (Ecology); Insects; Landscape maintenance; Right of way (Land); Roadside flora and fauna
• Geographic Terms: Idaho
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01759898
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Idaho Transportation Department
• Contract Numbers: RP 291
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Dec 10 2020 3:14PM