Central Valley Daily

Sept. 9: Monarch Butterflies Are Dwindling. Here’s How You Can Help.

By Elizabeth Arakelian,

Published September 9, 2025 at 4:45 AM PDT

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When was the last time you spotted a Monarch butterfly? If it’s been a moment, you’re not alone. The population has declined tremendously over the last 25 years. A new effort by the California State Park Foundation is asking Californians to track their butterfly sightings. Randy Widera, who leads programming for the Foundation, explains how ‘citizen scientists’ can help protect the species.

Plus, the latest news headlines: the Garnet Fire gains ground, a Bakersfield lawmaker urges Sacramento to boost oil production, and tourism in Yosemite grows.

Central Valley Daily

Elizabeth Arakelian

A Valley native, Elizabeth earned her bachelor's degree in English Language Literatures from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her master's degree in journalism from New York University. She has covered a range of beats. Her agriculture reporting for the Turlock Journal earned her a first place award from the California Newspaper Publishers Association.

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Jonathan Linden

Jonathan Linden is a podcast producer at KVPR. Born and raised in Riverside, he's a Southern California native. Jonathan's passion for public radio began at a young age when his brother would play NPR while driving him home from middle school. He earned his B.A. in journalism from Biola University in 2019.

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