An increasing number of native Utah insect pollinator species have been determined at-risk, including several currently under consideration for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As part of the 10-year revision process for the 2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan (UWAP), native insects were evaluated for inclusion as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN). These updated risk assessments identified 16 insect SGCNs, 12 of which are pollinator species. Eight of these pollinators qualify because they are already formally listed, have been petitioned, or are currently undergoing federal listing review. In contrast, the SGIN category includes several hundred native insect pollinator taxa for which conservation status cannot yet be determined due to major information gaps, including incomplete distribution data, unknown population trends, and unresolved taxonomic questions. These deficiencies limit Utah's ability to proactively conserve species before declines become severe enough to trigger a federal listing process. Addressing these information gaps is essential for both preventing additional ESA listings and fully implementing conservation actions outlined in the 2025 UWAP. When making listing determinations for insect taxa, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) considers the availability of species-level distribution data and the extent of proactive, state-led conservation efforts. Many of the pollinator SGCNs currently under federal review occupy broad native ranges across Utah. If listed, significant portions of the state could be subject to critical habitat designations and associated regulatory requirements, with potential implications for land management, development, resource use, and recreation. Moreover, several additional insect pollinator species in Utah and neighboring states exhibit similar patterns of decline, underscoring the urgency of expanding data collection now--before regulatory constraints become unavoidable and conservation options more limited. Existing Capacity and Limitations: Utah's ability to assess and respond to pollinator declines has improved substantially through the Rare Insect Conservation Program (RICP) and the Utah Pollinator Pursuit (UPP) community science project. Since its pilot season in 2019, UPP has grown rapidly with support from the Species Protection Account (Endangered Species Mitigation Fund), expanding from volunteer-led monarch surveys to statewide bumble bee monitoring, rare butterfly surveys, and, most recently, documentation of all pollinating insect taxa through the iNaturalist platform. Participation has increased annually, with hundreds of volunteers contributing thousands of observations, and species diversity representing every county in Utah. Program milestones include the addition of bumble bee monitoring in 2020, formal agency-led bumble bee surveys in 2021, rare butterfly monitoring in 2023, a transition to iNaturalist in 2024, and a shared community science training event with Utah Pollinator Pursuit and Bumble Bee Atlas in spring of 2025. Partnerships with state and federal biologists in the Uinta Basin Birds & Butterflies Group and the Xerces Society's Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas have further expanded standardized survey coverage and volunteer engagement. Collectively, UPP now includes more than 78,000 observations representing more than 1,770 species. This dataset has become a foundational tool for obtaining contemporary, statewide occurrence records that would otherwise be unavailable. While community science provides invaluable geographic coverage and public engagement, it also has inherent limitations. Observations are often spatially biased toward population centers, image quality varies, and many small, fast-moving, rare, or ephemeral insect species are underrepresented. Additionally, many insect taxa cannot be reliably identified to species without physical specimens and expert examination through microscopy or genetic methods. Incorporating UPP data into the Rare Insect Database and Utah Natural Heritage Program database is therefore a labor-intensive but essential process requiring expert validation, taxonomic reconciliation, spatial analysis, and evaluation of threats and habitat associations. Targeted field surveys and collection, laboratory processing, and professional oversight provided by RICP are critical for ensuring data quality and usability for conservation decision-making. Need for Continued Support and Expansion: Despite these limitations, the UPP currently represents the most efficient mechanism available for documenting pollinator SGCN distributions and detecting SGINs statewide. Continued investment is needed to expand expert-led surveys, increase volunteer participation through bioblitz events, and strengthen integration between community science and agency monitoring. These efforts will improve detection of rare species, support evaluation of habitat restoration outcomes, and provide land managers with actionable information. Monitoring is also a critical--but often underfunded--component of habitat restoration. Sageland Collaborative and its network of community conservation volunteers are actively engaged in restoration projects across Utah, including habitat enhancements, native plantings, riverscape and wetland restoration, and species monitoring. Many previously completed restoration sites are now well-suited for long-term monitoring to assess pollinator response and community recovery as habitats mature. Coordinating expert-led surveys with trained volunteers offers a cost-effective and scientifically robust approach to evaluating restoration success and informing adaptive management. In addition, ongoing efforts to tag and track western monarchs--led by the Uinta Birds & Butterflies group of state and federal biologists--have helped identify important breeding areas in northeastern Utah and supported targeted milkweed and nectar restoration. However, substantial uncertainties remain regarding seasonal movement patterns, survival across life stages, and especially late-season migratory routes. These knowledge gaps limit the effectiveness and efficiency of restoration investments. Emerging technologies, including lightweight Bluetooth-enabled tags and expanded telemetry and Motus networks, present an opportunity to integrate high-resolution movement data into existing monarch monitoring and habitat programs. Applying these tools will improve understanding of habitat connectivity between Utah breeding populations and overwintering sites, strengthen coordination across the western monarch migratory flyway, and ensure restoration actions are strategically targeted for maximum conservation benefit. Priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need: Several high-profile pollinator SGCNs illustrate the urgency of this work -- Monarch butterfly -- Proposed for ESA threatened listing in 2024. Western populations have declined to less than 1% of 1997 levels. Community science data collected since 2019 identify Utah as a critical summer breeding area. Nokomis silverspot butterfly -- Listed as Threatened in 2024. Restricted to fragmented high-elevation wetlands, with only five major populations remaining. Large marble butterfly -- Petitioned for ESA listing in 2023. Formerly widespread in Utah but now rarely detected. Western bumble bee -- Declined by more than 87% rangewide, with a listing decision expected. UPP confirms remaining populations in Utah. Suckley's cuckoo bumble bee -- Proposed for ESA endangered listing. No recent U.S. detections; targeted sampling in Utah is urgently needed. American/Sonoran bumble bee -- Under ESA evaluation; UPP has documented recent occurrences across multiple regions of Utah. Morrison's bumble bee -- Petitioned for listing after a 74% decline; continued monitoring is essential to refine habitat associations. Numerous additional pollinator taxa--including rare bumble bees, solitary bees, and desert-restricted butterflies--remain data-deficient and are at risk of future listing petitions without improved monitoring. Supporting Science-Based Management: Pollinator declines are driven by interacting stressors, including climate change, pesticide use, invasive species, and habitat loss and fragmentation. Although UPP has revealed widespread declines, substantial gaps remain in distribution, abundance, and habitat use, particularly in remote areas. Additionally, tracking the pollinator-related benefits of habitat restoration efforts is limited by the complexity and time-intensive aspects of evaluating the present pollinator community. Filling these gaps is essential for informed management, habitat restoration, and proactive conservation. This project directly supports UWAP implementation, aligns with regional conservation strategies such as WAFWA's Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, endeavors to improve rapid assessment techniques to monitor restoration outcomes, and strengthens Utah's capacity to address pollinator declines before they become irreversible. Continued support will ensure that data-driven, state-led conservation efforts reduce the likelihood of future listings while sustaining ecosystem services and biodiversity across Utah. Reporting and Data Accessibility: To support listing evaluations and conservation planning, validated data for target species will be submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and appropriate regional databases. iNaturalist observations will remain publicly accessible unless coordinate masking is necessary for sensitive species, making this expanding dataset a valuable resource for scientific and conservation applications. Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas survey data for Utah will be provided by the Xerces Society following quality assurance and species identification of submitted records, and integrated into Utah's Natural Heritage Program and Rare Insect Databses.

The overarching goal of this project is to build and maintain the scientific baseline needed to assess, manage, and conserve Utah's rapidly declining and data-deficient pollinator species, thereby supporting proactive conservation and reducing the likelihood of future federal listings. This work directly addresses priority information needs identified in the 2025 Utah Wildlife Action Plan by improving knowledge of pollinator distributions, habitat use, species associations, and population trends statewide. Objective 1 - Targeted Field Surveys to Address Critical Species Distribution Gaps: The Rare Insect Conservation Program (RICP) will design and implement targeted field surveys, process and identify specimens, and document current distribution, habitat quality and species associations, and occupancy of pollinator SGCN and SGIN across Utah. Survey efforts will emphasize data-deficient taxa and undersampled regions. This objective supports RICP staff time for survey design, field sampling and travel, specimen processing, data management, and coordination with partner agencies to maintain consistent, statewide insect conservation capacity. Objective 2 - Utah Pollinator Pursuit Data Management, Validation, and Spatial Analyses: RICP will complete species identification, taxonomic validation, and spatial analysis of UPP observations, and integrate validated community science records into the Rare Insect Database and Utah Natural Heritage Program database to ensure data quality and long-term usability. These data will support conservation assessments, including refinement of state conservation ranks (S-ranks), evaluation of population trends, and preparation of datasets needed for regional conservation initiatives and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listing reviews. This objective supports RICP GIS analyst time to conduct spatial analyses to evaluate range extent, habitat connectivity, and temporal trends, enabling early detection of population declines and identification of priority conservation areas and remaining data gaps. Objective 3 - Expand and Sustain Community Science Volunteer Participation: Sageland Collaborative and RICP will expand and diversify volunteer participation in UPP through coordinated recruitment, training, and engagement. Efforts will prioritize increasing survey coverage in underrepresented regions of the state (Objectives 1 & 2) while supporting long-term volunteer retention through expert-led pollinator survey events and habitat restoration events (Objective 4), community activities, and targeted outreach. Recruitment will leverage established communication channels and partnerships, including public presentations, newsletters, mailing lists, and social media, in collaboration with universities, conservation organizations, museums, gardens, and local, state, and federal agencies. Strategic partnerships, including collaboration with the Xerces Society's Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas, will strengthen volunteer training, species identification capacity, and data quality. Volunteer training will emphasize identification of at-risk species, habitat documentation, and effective use of the iNaturalist platform, with a continued focus on engaging rural communities and private landowners. Training will be delivered through in-person and recorded sessions to ensure broad accessibility and sustained participation statewide. Objective 4 - Monitor Pollinator Response at Restoration Sites: Sageland Collaborative will coordinate expert-led surveys and trained volunteers to conduct pollinator species surveys at existing upland, riparian, and wetland restoration sites where pollinator habitat has been installed. These surveys will generate data needed to evaluate pollinator response, assess restoration effectiveness, and inform adaptive management of future habitat projects. This objective provides support for Sageland Collaborative staff time involved in volunteer recruitment, facilitation of pollinator surveys, and development of guidelines to improve pollinator benefits in habitat restoration projects. Objective 5 - Survey and Tag Monarch Butterflies with BluMorpho Tracking Devices: Ashley National Forest and local partners will conduct coordinated monarch butterfly surveys and deploy Bluetooth-enabled BluMorpho tags to support data collection of monarch migratory movements through the collaborative "Project Monarch" initiative. This objective supports the purchase and deployment of 50 BluMorpho tags, which provide substantially higher temporal and spatial resolution of monarch movement data than traditional tagging methods while enabling public participation in data collection. Objective 6 - Maintain Core Staffing Capacity for Rare Insect Conservation Program: This project will support continued salary and benefits for a full-time Rare Insect Research Technician and associated seasonal field support within RICP (employed by Utah State University's Quinney College of Natural Resources). This capacity is essential for conducting statewide field surveys, managing and processing incoming UPP observations, maintaining the Rare Insect Database, supporting bioblitz and restoration monitoring efforts, and ensuring timely integration of data into conservation assessments. Continued staffing sustains the institutional expertise developed through priori BLM and USFS cost-share investments and ensures continuity of insect conservation efforts identified as priorities in the 2025 UWAP. Objective 7 - Develop Management-Relevant Products and Reports: Project partners will synthesize results into maps, summaries, and technical products that directly support land managers, restoration practitioners, and policy makers in implementing UWAP conservation actions and reducing the risk of future ESA listings. RICP staff will compile and quality-check datasets, prepare written reports, and coordinate with the Utah Natural Heritage Database staff to ensure efficient data integration and database maintenance. Survey and bioblitz information will also be used, in combination with Xerces-created resources, to develop a Utah-relevant pollinator scoring system to incorporate future pollinator bioblitz efforts into Rapid Stream Assessment Techniques (RSAT) used to evaluate habitat restoration outcomes. Data products and guidelines will be delivered (as appropriate) to regional biologists, the Utah Natural Heritage Program, and partner agencies in standardized formats. Project outcomes--including volunteer participation, field effort, pollinator presence, relevant life history information, and habitat attributes--will be presented at state meetings and shared with current and prospective community scientists to sustain engagement and demonstrate conservation effectiveness.

These project activities will occur across Utah to implement 2025 UWAP priority actions, continue collaborative work with agency and community partners, and capitalize on growing public support and involvement.

This project directly supports UWAP implementation, aligns with regional conservation strategies such as WAFWA's Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, endeavors to improve rapid assessment techniques to monitor restoration outcomes, and strengthens Utah's capacity to address pollinator declines before they become irreversible. Continued support will ensure that data-driven, state-led conservation efforts reduce the likelihood of future listings while sustaining ecosystem services and biodiversity across Utah.

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If any habitat assessments or surveys occur on private lands, a steward or representative will be present, and will have coordinated with the landowner before any volunteers would be invited to assist in survey efforts on a property. Collections of insect specimens on public lands will be conducted with permission wherever required (specifically per National Forests that require collections permits) and following disclosure to regional BLM and USFS offices/districts where permits are not required. Any collection of insects on private property will first receive permission from property owners. No collection or capture of ESA-listed species will occur.

Volunteer recruitment, training, and engagement: The project will recruit community science volunteers through targeted outreach, established partner networks, and coordinated media engagement. Project partners will deliver in-person and virtual training focused on pollinator identification, habitat documentation, and effective use of the iNaturalist platform. Training and identification capacity will be expanded through collaboration with partners such as the Xerces Society's Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas, which will provide additional educational resources and expert review. Ongoing communication with volunteers will be maintained through newsletters, social media, community events, and field-based conservation opportunities, to support long-term participation, reinforce data quality standards, and sustain statewide engagement. Data collection through UPP opportunistic submissions, RICP field surveys, pollinator species surveys: The project will implement a coordinated data collection strategy that integrates opportunistic UPP observations with targeted RICP field surveys and expert-led pollinator survey events. RICP will design and conduct statewide field surveys, including specimen collection and processing, to document pollinator distributions, habitat associations, and species interactions. Sageland Collaborative and RICP will organize and promote expert-led pollinator species survey events to increase sampling intensity in priority areas. Restoration sites (including burn recovery at the Deer Springs Fire burn scar in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument) will be identified for pollinator monitoring, and standardized data on pollinator presence, diversity, life stage, and habitat use will be collected. Results from these efforts will be used to develop guidance and support adaptive land management for improving pollinator benefits in future habitat restoration projects. Data collected from formal bumble surveys will be submitted to Xerces' Bumble Bee Watch platform, assessed by the Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas coordinator, and made available to RICP for inclusion in the Rare Insect Database and Utah Natural Heritage Program Database. Tagging monarch butterflies for BluMorpho telemetry monitoring: Ashley National Forest biologists and partner natural resource managers, with assistance from trained volunteers, will conduct monarch butterfly surveys from August through October 2026 at selected breeding sites using standardized visual encounter surveys and aerial netting protocols. Captured adult monarchs will be fitted with lightweight, solar-powered BluMorpho tags affixed with nontoxic adhesive. Registered tags will be tracked through the Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT) wildlife telemetry network, which leverages thousands of community scientists' cellular devices as passive receivers to monitor monarch migration in near-real time. Data processing, analysis, and dissemination: RICP and collaborating taxonomic experts will conduct species identification using both photographic records and physical specimens. Incoming UPP observations will be reviewed, validated, and integrated into the Rare Insect Database and Utah Natural Heritage Program database to ensure data quality and long-term usability. RICP will conduct spatial and temporal analyses to evaluate species distributions, range extent, habitat associations, connectivity, population trends, and generate or refine models that predict the distribution of suitable habitat. These analyses will be used to update conservation assessments and state conservation ranks (S-ranks) as data availability allows. The project will also develop a standardized "pollinator score" for incorporation into Utah-based Restoration Site Assessment Tool (RSAT) evaluations, supporting management-relevant interpretation of pollinator data.

The monitoring component of this project will pilot the application of UPP's community science data collection framework to evaluate habitat restoration outcomes at sites completed by Sageland Collaborative's Riverscape Restoration program and BLM post-fire recovery at the Deer Springs Fire burn site Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM). Pollinator monitoring data will be used to assess species response to restoration actions, inform adaptive management, and demonstrate the ecological benefits of restoration efforts over time. This project also supports (through the purchase of BluMorpho tags) ongoing monitoring of key monarch breeding grounds in the Uinta Basin and the enhanced ability to track migratory movements between Utah and overwintering grounds.

Partners include the Utah State University, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Sageland Collaborative, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Bureau of Land Management in Utah, U.S. Forest Service Utah offices, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Dinosaur National Monument, Southwest Monarch Study, Project Monarch, Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, Utah State Parks, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, University of Utah, Red Butte Gardens, The Hogle Zoo, the Natural History Museum of Utah, Tracy Aviary, Conservation Garden Park, The Nature Conservancy, Utah Lepidopterist Society, the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point, Wild Bee Project, Utah Friends of Monarchs, Monarchs of Bridgerland, Western Monarch Pollinator Pathways, Utah Butterfly Field Trips, Salt Lake Bug Lovers, Utah Pollinator Habitat Program, the Utah Native Plant Society, and Utah Desert Botanical Conservancy. As more comprehensive information for suitable pollinator habitat and distribution of insect species are ascertained, this project will expand to ongoing efforts for the protection, restoration, and creation of at-risk native pollinator habitat. Land owners and managers will have an improved understanding of priority locations for habitat enhancement and creation, as well as the necessary diversity of plant communities that support pollinating insects.

It is hoped that the information generated from these surveys will facilitate a more directed approach to addressing conservation needs for the target species. Additionally, the expansion of these efforts to focus on more insect pollinator species will include the goal of diversifying funding sources to reduce funding requests from the State of Utah in the future.

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