CHICAGO—(ENEWSPF)–January 30, 2015 – Yesterday, the Illinois Tollway Authority agreed to work with the Natural Resources Defense Council to create a monarch butterfly restoration program that would plant milkweed along the agency’s 286 miles of roadways. The plant is essential for the species’ survival as their numbers have crashed in recent years.
Following is reaction from Rebecca Riley, attorney in NRDC’s land and wildlife program, who addressed the Tollway Authority board on Thursday:
“The monarch butterfly is the Illinois state insect—we should be doing everything we can to save it. By planting milkweed on sections of I-90, I-88 and I-294, the Tollway is doing its part.
“As milkweed has disappeared, so have the butterflies. Finding places to replant the monarch’s essential food source is key to keeping them around.”
More information on the plight of America’s pollinators at http://www.savebiogems.org/let-monarchs-fly/
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 1.4 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
Source: www.nrdc.org
