To inform monarch conservation efforts and engage citizens in monarch monitoring and conservation activities, MJV continuously works to create and improve resources for you to utilize and share. Recently, the MJV has added new informational flyers about monarch conservation, a habitat recognition program to highlight your efforts in creating habitat for monarchs, and a monarch breeding habitat assessment tool to gauge how suitable a breeding habitat might be for monarchs.
Habitat Recognition Program
Creating a habitat can be as simple as planting milkweed to serve as a host plant for caterpillars, and native flowers that provide nectar to fuel monarch breeding and migration. Please visit the Get Involved tab on our website to learn more about what makes a successful habitat for monarchs. If you already have monarch habitat on your property, we want to hear from you! Click on the “Success stories” tab to put your habitat on the map and inspire others to follow your lead.
Breeding Habitat Assessment Tool
As we work to improve and create new monarch breeding habitat, we need metrics to gauge the quality and effectiveness of our habitat conservation efforts. Currently, no standard protocol exists with which to evaluate and characterize monarch breeding habitat quality. University of Minnesota researchers have identified key characteristics of quality monarch habitat, and have developed an easy-to-use assessment tool that can be used throughout the monarchs’ breeding range. Download the assessment tool on our publications page and see how suitable your habitat is for monarchs! Feel free to send any comments or questions about the tool to monarchs@monarchjointventure.org, we'd love to hear from you.
MJV Fact Sheet Series
In person communication and hands-on activities with monarchs are critical to engage others in monarch conservation. To help improve these educational efforts, MJV has created a series of monarch fact sheets to better inform those interested in monarchs and point them to resources for further exploration. These fact sheets, among other useful resources, can can be downloaded from the publications page of our website. So far, we have developed fact sheets on the following topics: native milkweeds, the Monarch Joint Venture, gardening for monarchs, invasive swallow-wort, monarch rearing, and monarch conservation. If you have ideas about other topics that could be addressed, please email us!
Coming Soon: Citizen Science Newsletter
Last, but not least, we're working on a monarch citizen science newsletter. This newsletter will promote various different monarch citizen science efforts and will relay important information that citizen scientists are contributing to monarch conservation. If you receive updates from the MJV, you are already signed up to receive this newsletter!
Please share our resources with others so that they too might become more involved in monarch conservation!