ITD's Cathy Ford helps craft
Monarch Butterfly preservation plan
ITD Vegetation Manager Cathy Ford helped recently on a collaboration through the University of Illinois at Chicago to preserve the Monarch Butterfly by establishing a nationwide, formal agreement that unites electric companies and state departments of transportation across the country to protect habitat and head off extinction of the species.
The development of the first nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA) was undertaken by the Rights-of-Way Habitat Working Group and facilitated by the UIC Energy Resources Center. 
Ford was a member of the Advisory Team and contributed in-kind time and technical expertise, and collaborated with other DOT partners within the energy and transportation sectors. She assisted with reviewing documents and contributing information, and provided input on the development of the CCAA application and process, which is a formal agreement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and non-federal property owners and land managers.
"The CCAA is specific to transportation agencies and ROW energy/utility companies," Ford explained. "My participation was to provide guidance and input as part of the Advisory Team, from a western-state perspective, including different vegetation habitats, management goals/practices (including reducing fire ignition and spread), and resource challenges in Idaho."
The CCAA is intended to minimize additional workload placed on participants and encourage early adoption of conservation measures that will ultimately benefit the Monarch butterfly. Working together, USFWS, UIC, and DOT agencies developed a CCAA implementation approach that reduces tracking, monitoring, and reporting requirements to the minimum necessary for the agreement; and we believe the expectations outlined are achievable and appropriate.
Ford also participated in monthly CCAA Habitat Working Group and DOT Sector meetings and discussions related to the CCAA development.
Published 05-22-20