Unitil Takes Steps to Protect New England's Monarch Butterfly Habitat

The beloved monarch butterfly is one of the most recognizable insects with its vibrant orange and black wings, but as populations of this important pollinator continue to decline, Unitil is taking steps to help support its habitat for future generations.

Unitil, a provider of electricity and natural gas to customers in New England, was recently accepted into a national program that will involve conservation efforts on 2,100 acres of land along some of the utility's rights-of-way and company-owned lands in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

The voluntary program - known as the Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) and administered by the University of Illinois Chicago - aims to conserve and sustain monarch butterfly habitats on energy and transportation lands.

The monarch butterfly is currently not federally protected, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that it be listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act as its population in North America has been steadily declining over the past two decades.

In response to the growing concerns, Unitil has enrolled 1,285 acres in New Hampshire, 493 in Massachusetts, and 322 in Maine in the CCAA program. Most of the land is in New Hampshire and Massachusetts where grassland, forbs, and shrubland habitats were more suitable for monarch butterflies; the Maine territory was dominated by high density tall shrubs and saplings.

Measures aimed at protecting and restoring monarch butterfly habitats will be implemented through Unitil's existing vegetation management practices and additional best management practices. They'll include rotational management, which will involve mowing or treating certain areas on a rotating schedule in an effort to promote habitat and allow milkweed and other key vegetation to grow; conservation mowing to enhance floral resource habitat; targeted herbicide treatments to control woody and invasive vegetation; and avoiding disturbance during the monarch's active season.

The company will submit annual effectiveness reports.

"We've really been looking at all of our rights-of-way and the lands that we manage and trying to do something to aid in monarch butterfly habitat," said Chris Moultroup, Unitil's Manager of Forestry Operations. "We're already managing the land to keep a low shrub layer to prevent power outages. These are some of the same techniques that they recommend for monarch butterfly conservation, so it fits well. There are some other steps we'll be taking to aid in milkweed growth."

Milkweed is critical for monarch butterfly populations.

"Adult monarchs specifically lay their eggs on milkweed plants and drink nectar from milkweed flowers. The good news is that monarch habitat can occur almost anywhere and that milkweed is easy to grow," said Sharon Marino, acting Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region. "The Monarch Candidate Conservation Agreement is a great example of how public private partnerships can be successful to conserve vulnerable species, like the monarch butterfly."

For more information on efforts to protect the monarch butterfly, visit fws.gov/initiative/pollinators/save-monarch.

Photo Captions:

• Top photo: Chris Moultroup, Unitil's Manager of Forestry Operations, assesses the milkweed growing in parts of the company's service territory.
• Inline photo: Milkweed is crucial for monarch butterfly populations.