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Press & Media

Press & Media

Xerces Society staff are respected as reliable sources of science-based advice at the forefront of invertebrate protection, and can provide information and perspective on all aspects of invertebrate conservation.

Our team includes nationally recognized experts on a range of issues, including insect declines, protecting endangered species, climate change impacts, pollinator conservation, pesticide risk, habitat creation, and wildlife gardening. We work to understand and protect insects and other invertebrates in all landscapes, from wildlands to backyards.

In each of the last three years, Xerces staff were quoted or our work was mentioned in thousands of media articles that reached over one billion people worldwide.

We’re happy to give media interviews. Please direct all inquiries to Matthew Shepherd, (503) 232-6639 or [email protected]. 

For general information about our work, please see our blog, publications, and other information on our website. Follow us on social media for the latest updates, as well.

Recent Press Releases

Xerces Society Seeks Endangered Species Act Protection for Morrison Bumble Bee

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has submitted a petition for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect Morrison bumble bee (Bombus morrisoni) under the Endangered Species Act. Found in 14 western states, the species has been disappearing.

Xerces Society seeks Endangered Species Act protection for the large marble butterfly, a once-common western species

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has submitted a petition for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect several subspecies of the large marble butterfly, Euchloe ausonides, under the Endangered Species Act.

New Legislation Would Establish USDA Label for Pollinator-Safe Plants

Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced new legislation that would create a pollinator-friendly plant labeling program, modeled after the Organic Foods Production Act that created organic labeling. The legislation follows research findings by the Xerces Society and University of Nevada, Reno that documented dangerous pesticide levels in pollinator plants at U.S. nurseries.

MONARCH Act Reintroduced to Aid Western Butterfly

United States Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) and Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have reintroduced the House version of the bicameral Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat (MONARCH) Act.  The MONARCH Act would authorize $62.5 million for projects aimed at conserving the western monarch and an additional $62.5 million to implement the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in January 2019. 

Troubling News for Eastern Monarchs as Overwintering Area Declines

The Eastern migratory monarch butterfly is at risk: new reports show a sharp population decline and a loss of habitat in the forests where they winter each year. In just one year, the presence of monarch butterflies in their wintering grounds dropped 22%, from 7 acres to nearly 5.5 acres. This is part of a mostly downward trend over the past 25 years—when monarchs once covered more than 45 acres of forest.

For General Media Inquiries

Contact Matthew Shepherd

Phone: (503) 232-6639

Email: [email protected]

Xerces in the News

Check out our reach and view a listing of articles from around the world featuring the Xerces Society.