N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0541: Monarch preservation plan

§ 11-0541. Monarch preservation plan.

Beginning within one year of the effective date of this section, the

department shall take feasible actions to conserve monarch butterflies

and the unique habitats they depend upon for successful migration. These

actions may include, but are not limited to, habitat restoration on

department and state owned lands, education programs, and voluntary

agreements with private landowners. The department may partner with

federal agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic

programs, private landowners, and other entities that undertake actions

to conserve monarch butterflies and aid their successful migration. When

undertaking actions to conserve monarch butterflies and their habitats

pursuant to this section, the department shall use the best available

science and consider, as appropriate and feasible, all of the following:

1. restoring or revegetating monarch caterpillar habitat using

regionally or locally appropriate native milkweed species and native

nectar plant species;

2. controlling nonnative weed species that threaten native milkweed

species, and controlling pests and disease, using current best

management practices consistent with integrated pest management

principles that pose low risk to monarch butterflies and their habitat;

3. identifying alternatives to pest management practices that may be

harmful to monarch butterflies, their food or their habitat, including

but not limited to alternatives to the use of pesticides that may cause

such harm;

4. incorporating diverse tree species, structures, and arrangements

when restoring or establishing winter habitat sites to match monarch

butterfly preferences for temperature, light, moisture, wind, and other

microclimate characteristics; and

5. increasing the number of partnerships and making the most of

partnerships to use residential and institutional landscaped areas,

agricultural lands that are not in active production, transportation

corridors, and conservation easements to create, restore, or enhance

monarch butterfly habitat.