Hello and welcome to the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary!
We are proud to provide an over-wintering location for Western Monarchs, who have likely been making their annual migration to the Central Coast for thousands of years. In 1939 the city held its first Butterfly Parade to welcome the monarchs to town. Pacific Grove also passed an ordinance that makes it “unlawful for any person to molest or interfere with, in any way, the peaceful occupancy of the monarch butterflies on their annual visit.” That law is still in effect today, so be careful not to disturb the monarchs!
Towards the end of the 20th century, concerns were raised about the protection of overwintering monarchs. A group of Pacific Grove residents formed Friends of the Monarchs in 1987 to support local monarch butterfly conservation efforts. One of the members, Ro Vaccaro, became known around town as the Butterfly Lady. She went into the schools and taught children about the monarchs. In 1990, she spread the word about a proposal to build homes on the monarchs’ overwintering site. Ro and other volunteers needed 6,000 signatures to create a ballot measure that would stop the development, buy the land and grant permanent sanctuary to the monarchs. The story of their efforts made national headlines and the bond measure passed, allowing the city of Pacific Grove to create a permanent sanctuary for the butterflies. Through the actions of local residents, our Sanctuary is still here today, a protected site for monarchs and other wildlife. In this tour of our Monarch Sanctuary, you will learn more about the Western Monarch life cycle, migration and current threats. Enjoy the tour!
