Projects
Partners involved with the Monarch Joint Venture are engaged in a diverse set of activities that support monarch habitat conservation, maintenance and enhancement; education; and research and monitoring.
Habitat Conservation & Enhancement
Ensuring the availability of quality habitat is critical for the conservation of any species. It is thought that monarch breeding habitat has reduced in availability and quality in recent years, with a reduced abundance of milkweed in the landscape in the eastern and western U.S. Overwintering habitat for the western monarch population is thought to be threatened by the impending senescence of the even-aged eucalyptus stands that comprise most of the overwintering groves.
MJV partners are engaged in work focused on improving habitat availability and quality for both eastern and western monarch populations.
Milkweed Seed Increase Project (Xerces Society, NRCS)
Seed availability is the principle factor limiting the incorporation of milkweeds in large scale habitat enhancement projects. While regionally-sourced, native milkweed seeds are available and in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions, in other areas few commercial seed sources are available.
To address this challenge, the Xerces Society will work with multiple stakeholders (including the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and native seed producers) to develop reliable sources of regionally-native milkweed seed for the Southeastern and Southwestern US. Xerces staff will develop information on milkweed propagation, and promote the inclusion of milkweeds in NRCS-supported pollinator conservation efforts. This will ultimately increase the abundance of native milkweeds in those regions. Because milkweeds are also highly important nectar sources for honey bees, native bees, and hummingbirds, we anticipate this work will significantly benefit a diverse suite of pollinator species.
Develop Milkweed Propagation Methods (NRCS, Xerces Society)
Xerces Society will work with the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Plant Material Centers to develop optimal milkweed propagation methods for a suite of priority milkweed species. The protocols that NRCS/Xerces develops will be used by the PMCs in their initial seed increase efforts, and will be provided to commercial native plant growers for their use in milkweed propagation.
Habitat Creation Guidelines (NABA)
NABA will produce the first of a projected series of 50 web-based brochures – one for each state – that will provide land managers with very detailed “recipes” enabling them to create and maintain habitat for Monarchs on land under their care.
Information provided will be for one acre parcels, with the ability to scale upward. Specific planting lists, including numbers of each plant, along with suggestions for alternative plantings and cultural practices, will be included so that end users will have all the information necessary to create and manage Monarch habitats.
Monarch Waystation Program Expansion (Monarch Watch)
The Monarch Waystation Program, established in 2005 by Monarch Watch, engages citizens in science and restoration by providing instruction and materials to create habitat for monarchs. Through this program, a broad range of municipalities, nature centers, zoos, businesses and individuals have created over 3500 Monarch Waystations in 46 states. Expanding the Monarch Waystation Program throughout the United States, including the West, is one way to increase monarch habitat availability and to draw attention to the need to change the way habitats are managed for monarchs, pollinators and other wildlife.
Through this project, Monarch Watch will develop a revised brochure, increasing its focus on the use of regionally-sourced, native plant species, and will enhance its website to give participants in the Monarch Waystation program the ability to manage their online records.
To support this increased focus on the use of regionally-sourced native plants, and overall expansion of the program – and thus demand for milkweeds – Monarch Watch will work with native plant nurseries and potential hosts of pollinator plant sales to increase the availability of milkweeds for use in pollinator gardens.
USFS Pollinator Gardens (US Forest Service)
The US Forest Service is installing pollinator gardens at many District Offices, providing information about pollinators and how to protect them, while simultaneously creating valuable pollinator habitat for monarchs and a diverse suite of other pollinator species.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Secretary Tom Vilsack's People's Garden initiative, seeks to establish gardens at USDA facilities worldwide and also help communities create gardens providing information about pollinators and how to protect them, while simultaneously creating valuable pollinator habitat for monarchs and a diverse suite of other pollinator species. The U.S. Forest Service has registered many of their facility gardens in the international register of People’s Gardens.
Overwintering Site Assessment (Xerces Society)
Comprehensive knowledge of monarch overwintering site locations and habitat condition is vital for the Monarch Joint Venture, land managers, scientists and conservationists to prioritize actions for protection and management of overwintering sites for western monarchs. To ensure that up–to-date information is available, the Xerces Society will work with monarch scientists to compile all existing data on California overwintering Monarch populations and include this information in an updated GIS database.
The Xerces Society will use existing GIS grove location data together with population data, current aerial imagery, expert opinion and site visits to assess habitat conversion impacts to historic overwintering groves, coding each as confirmed habitat, potential habitat or non-habitat.
Review of Laws and Policies regarding Overwintering Sites (Xerces Society)
Legal protections for Monarchs involve a patchwork of city ordinances, coastal zone management plans, and state and federal law. However, because no one has assessed the California laws that protect Monarch overwintering sites, there is no way to give straightforward answers to questions about what developments or other land management practices are allowed at Monarch overwintering sites. The Xerces Society will work with the International Environmental Law Project at Lewis and Clark College to gather and assess the legislation and/or ordinances of cities, counties and the State of California as they relate to California Monarch overwintering sites. This will enable Monarch conservationists, park managers, private land owners, and other interested parties to understand the legal tools available to protect these sites.
Education
We are working to bring information regarding monarch conservation to public citizens, public and private land managers, and various levels of decision-makers.
North American Monarch Institute (Monarchs in the Classroom, USFS)
In August 2010, over 50 teacher participants are traveling from Texas, Virginia, Alabama, Washington, DC, Illinois, Mexico and Canada to the University of Minnesota for an intensive 3 day workshop to learn how monarchs and their habitats can be used to teach students about science and conservation. Teachers will receive support on how to create, plant and utilize a schoolyard garden with their students. Throughout the course teachers will build a nationwide science partnership with educators, researchers and, later in the school year, students along the monarch migration flyway. A specialized website will keep participants, their students and the instructors communicating and learning about monarchs and science from each other during the school year.
Monarch Conservation Brochure (Pollinator Partnership, Monarchs in the Classroom, Monarch Watch)
To inspire appreciation of monarchs and their migration, and interest in conservation efforts, MJV partners are producing a Monarch Conservation Brochure for distribution in butterfly houses and other venues. This brochure will share information about monarch biology and conservation issues, and will also offer a list of actions that anyone interested in helping to protect monarchs could conduct to join in this conservation effort.
Monarch Flyway Brochure (Monarch Watch, Monarchs in the Classroom)
The Monarch Flyway Brochure will couple a map of the monarch flyway with suggestions for nectar plant enhancement, and will provide basic information regarding the value of population monitoring in these areas. The brochure will also provide web links for monarch monitoring programs.
PollinatorLIVE (US Forest Service)
The PollinatorLIVE program, a collaborative effort between the USDA Forest Service, other USDA agencies, Prince William County School district and many other federal, state and local agencies and organizations, seeks to promote pollinator education and to provide opportunities to schools and communities for the implementation of pollinator gardens throughout the nation.
Research & Monitoring
Through solid scientific research and monitoring, we will be able to better understand North American monarch population trends, and the many factors influencing their decline. We are supporting the expansion of monarch monitoring programs, data analyses to learn more about monarch conservation issues, and research to inform and improve the success of breeding habitat restoration efforts.
Facilitate Trinational Data Exchange (University of Georgia / MonarchNet)
MonarchNet is developing a website and online data storage structure that will allow monarch scientists to access multiple data sets, facilitating greater and more complex analyses of monarch population trends and their drivers.
Support Monarch Population Data Analyses (University of Maryland / MonarchNet)
MonarchNet has identified priority population data analyses that will increase our understanding of monarch population trends and their drivers. Leslie Ries, a post-doctoral researcher and member of MonarchNet, is working to evaluate the potential of integrating across multiple monarch data sets for further population trend analyses, and is developing population and statistical models necessary to evaluate the significance of trend over time patterns for monarch population abundances. She will then conduct further population trend analyses as prioritized by MonarchNet.
Expand Monarch Monitoring in Priority Areas (NABA, Cibolo Nature Center)
The MJV is supporting efforts to increase monarch monitoring in key areas where additional data availability would enhance our ability to estimate monarch population trends and evaluate potential drivers of these trends.
4th of July Butterfly Counts: The North American Butterfly Association’s 4th of July Butterfly Counts have generated a long-term data set, using consistent methods, and are thus highly useful for tracking monarch abundances. NABA is increasing their butterfly count efforts in key locations in the western U.S. to bolster the availability of monarch population data for future population trend analyses. NABA is doing this by reaching out to naturalists in priority regions (Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and California) to encourage participation in this monitoring effort, and providing training as needed to support their participation in this work.
Texas Monarch Monitoring Workshops: The Cibolo Nature Center (located in Boerne, TX) hosted a monarch monitoring workshop in April 2010 and will host another in September 2010. These workshops are focused on training citizen scientists to engage in monarch monitoring efforts within the state of Texas, and information is provided to participants on the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, Monarch Watch, Journey North, the 4th of July Butterfly Counts, and Project MonarchHealth.
Develop Milkweed Propagation Methods (NRCS)
In support of the Milkweed Seed Increase Project spearheaded by the Xerces Society, the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Plant Material Centers will develop optimal milkweed propagation methods for a suite of priority milkweed species. The protocols that NRCS develops will be used by the PMCs in their initial seed increase efforts, and will be provided to commercial native plant growers for their use in milkweed propagation.
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Common milkweed seeds
Prairie habitat planting - Minnesota
Texas Monitoring Workshop - Boerne, TX
NABA Butterfly Count - Chappaqua, NY