NY S03163

Requires the Department of Environmental Conservation to take feasible actions within one year to conserve monarch butterflies and their migration habitats, including habitat restoration on state lands, education programs, and voluntary agreements with private landowners

Mandates use of best available science for conservation efforts, including restoring caterpillar habitat with native milkweed and nectar plants appropriate to the region

Directs control of nonnative weed species threatening native milkweed and management of pests using integrated pest management practices that pose low risk to monarchs

Authorizes partnerships with federal and state agencies, nonprofits, academic institutions, and private landowners to leverage residential areas, agricultural lands, transportation corridors, and conservation easements for habitat creation

Addresses the documented 90% decline in monarch populations since 1990, from approximately one billion butterflies to 35 million as of 2014