The Pacific Grove City Council decided Oct. 20 to hold off on an eight-year program of tagging monarch butterflies for fear handling the insects could disrupt the population of the butterflies, which was drastically lower in the city last year than in previous years.
Tagging “requires physically touching the butterflies,” Jim Becklenberg, the city’s budget director told the council. “This year, given we have the low numbers … I think we need more information before making that decision for tagging.”