Locals got the chance to dress up for a cause on Saturday evening at the Central Coast State Parks Association's Butterfly Ball Gala.
Organizers say the event raises funds to protect the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove, which reportedly protects California's 2nd largest overwintering monarch population and attracts 100,000 visitors annually.
The Crystals-and-Chrisalyses-themed event aimed to collect $50,000 on Saturday.
"There's tremendous love across San Luis Obispo County for the outdoors, for conservation, for preservation, for biodiversity. So we have a community that's engaged and wants to do good for our community," Dawn Addis, Assemblymember for California's 30th District, told KSBY.
Several awards were presented at the 5th annual gala, including a lifetime achievement award for Monterey Bay Aquarium executive director Julie Packard. Organizers called her a "conservation hero" in a press release.
