In March of 2020, like so many people, our lives as we knew them, became unrecognizable.  No more jobs.  No more travel.  No more friend and family gatherings.  A toxic political environment and fear pervaded every waking minute for us.  We felt powerless. 

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We began to ask ourselves, what CAN we do? How can we be a part of a solution that will help the world for generations to come? 

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Then, we heard an alarming statistic about the potential extinction of the Monarch Butterfly.  “Of the millions of Monarchs that used to exist just 25 years ago, only about 150,000 remain.”  That is a 90% decline.  We were so shocked and saddened that we turned our focus on how we could solve this problem and save the Monarch Butterfly.  We may no be able to save the world, but we could sure try to save something in our little corner of it!

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We wanted a way to quickly, effectively, and sustainably increase the population of the Monarch Butterfly to avoid their extinction in California.  After considerable research, we learned there are countless individuals and non-profit organizations that are attempting to save the Monarchs. 

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Unfortunately, while well intended, these efforts are not coordinated nor large-scale.  Raising awareness and sending out seed packets will not save the Monarch Butterfly. 

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We then researched the local, state and national programs designed to support efforts for Monarch restoration.  We found quite a few of them.  But the more we researched – the less real ACTION we saw being taken.  In addition, these programs only offer funding to non-profits, tribal ventures, universities, and existing farmers – none of which are known for solving problems or pursuing innovations.  If we are going to save this planet, funding needs to be made available for organizations with new ways to conserve and manage our precious pollinators like the Monarch Butterfly. 

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So we developed a solution - The California Milkweed Highway.  The CMH is a strategic network of nine self-sustaining habitats and milkweed farms geared toward feeding and repopulating the Monarch Butterfly.  This network will run the length of California and not only DOUBLE the Monarch population in 3 years but will act as a sustainable, pollinator backbone to California Food Growers who supply 65% of America’s fruits and vegetables.

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In the future, we plan to grow our pollinator network nationally then, globally.