The Monarch Joint Venture is happy to announce that Mississippi Master Naturalist, a program of the Mississippi State University Extension, is our latest Monarch Joint Venture partner.
There is increasing interest among Master Naturalists along the Mississippi Coast in monitoring, conservation, and education related to monarchs, butterflies, and other pollinators. As an MJV partner, Mississippi Master Naturalist will look to capitalize on this momentum to enhance the understanding of monarch conservation on the Mississippi coast. By engaging dedicated volunteers in consistent monitoring, the program will help fill data gaps in the region, providing essential insights to larger national monitoring efforts.
The program is split into two chapters: the Central (Jackson) chapter and the Coastal (Biloxi) chapter, the latter of which has over 200 participants. These volunteers come from many professions and walks of life, including retired and working teachers, nurses, librarians, accountants, lawyers, farmers, and scientists. These Master Naturalists have a passion for giving back to their local communities, volunteering thousands of hours to environmental education projects.Master Naturalists on the coast have recently proposed a comprehensive monarch project that will combine education and outreach with hands-on training for growing native milkweed and nectar plants from seed for backyard and restoration plantings.
Becoming a Master Naturalist requires the completion of a 40-hour field and classroom course, 40 hours of volunteer service annually, and eight annual advanced training hours. From there, these volunteers use their experiences and passion to improve the public’s understanding and appreciation of Mississippi’s natural resources and management through in-class presentations, outreach at festivals, guided nature walks, and more.
Beyond these outreach efforts, they’re key to boots-on-the-ground volunteer efforts such as monitoring and restoration. We’re excited to welcome this group and its dedicated Master Naturalists to the MJV partnership, and we’re excited to see their continued work in support of monarchs and other wildlife in The Magnolia State.
For more information about Mississippi Master Naturalist, click here.
The Monarch Joint Venture is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and a national partner network of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs working together to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. The content in this article does not necessarily reflect the positions of all Monarch Joint Venture partners. Photo courtesy of Mississippi Master Naturalist.