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House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	June 24, 2024 03:38 PM
From:	Representative Chris Pielli
To:	All House members
Subject:	Protecting Insects and Conserving Monarch Butterfly Habitats

Since the 1990s, the population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined by 90%. As a result of their decline, these pollinators are now candidates for listing under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. State agencies responsible for wildlife and natural resource management refer to federal guidance on which species are threatened with extinction, though no state agency has authority over terrestrial insects like monarch butterflies and other pollinators.   Dwindling habitats and pesticides negatively affect the populations of insects and pollinators and the plants they rely on for food and for laying eggs. By protecting our native species, we further promote biodiversity and pollination, making it possible for flowers and crops to reproduce, which are essential for human welfare.   In order to protect native insects and pollinators like the monarch butterfly, I will be introducing a package of legislation to promote the growth of new habitats and ensure that their populations are monitored. The first bill will address the dwindling habitats for monarch butterflies by encouraging any new construction of a garden, lawn, or green space at a state facility to include insecticide-free native plants and flowers. The second bill will address the conservation of wild native terrestrial insects by adding language that protects them under Pennsylvania’s Wild Resource Conservation Act.   Please join me in co-sponsoring this package of legislation to protect insects and pollinators and uphold our constitutional right to the preservation of natural, scenic, historic, and aesthetic values of the environment.

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Document #1

Description:	This bill will create the Native Habitats at Commonwealth Facilities Act to encourage Commonwealth agencies to prioritize using insecticide-free native plants when developing green spaces or during landscape planting and to consider planting pollinator meadows in lieu of lawns or turfgrass.

Document #2

Description:

This bill will amend Act 170 of 1982 (Wild Resource Conservation Act) to provide for the conservation and protection of wild native terrestrial invertebrates in Pennsylvania. It would require the Department of Conservation of Natural Resources to study wild native terrestrial invertebrates and determine management measures necessary for their continued ability to sustain themselves successfully. DCNR would be responsible for classifying endangered and threatened species and establishing regulations for their protection.