Save the Monarch Butterfly 60,000 Tree Challenge

In 2022, Kansas City Southern (KCS), Canadian Pacific (CP), GATX Rail Corporation, Rotary and the North American Supply Chain Organization (NASCO) successfully carried out the Save the Monarch Butterfly 60,000 Tree Challenge North American Boxcar Tour.  The GATX Monarch butterfly boxcar traveled 5,450 miles and made 10 stops, ending at the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary. The objectives of the tour were to raise awareness of the plight of the monarch butterfly, promote pollinator gardens and raise funds to plant 60,000 trees in Michoacán. More details on this international initiative are available on the Railway Age web site. Special thanks to all those who supported this important effort.

The monarch butterfly is a symbol of North American unity and holds mythical importance in Mexican culture. The monarch also contributes to the health of the planet. The International Union for Conservation of Nature red-listed the migratory monarch as endangered, placing it just two steps from extinction. This is a loud call to action.

Pollinators are critical to global food security and healthy natural ecosystems, but they’re disappearing at an alarming rate. The population of the monarch butterfly has dropped 90% in the last 20 years. The biological corridor of the monarch butterfly has been fragmented by global warming, deforestation, urbanization and excessive pesticide use. The monarch has only a 10 percent chance of surviving above the extinction threshold over the next 30 years. The time is now to protect monarchs and their incredible 3,000-mile migration.