Photo Credit: Robert Seilheimer, Monarch Joint Venture
Earlier this fall, the Monarch Joint Venture teamed up again with volunteers from NIPSCO to catch, tag, and release monarch butterflies. The tags used were from the Monarch Watch tagging program, a large-scale community science project initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch's spectacular fall migration through mark-and-recapture.
Volunteers and MJV staff worked together at four sites in September: Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve, Pisgah Marsh Wildlife Management Area, and NIPSCO’s Luchtman Sustain. Across these locations, 117 monarchs were tagged, each butterfly becoming part of a global effort to track migration routes and survival.
In addition to tagging monarchs, volunteers at Pisgah Marsh planted 126 native wildflower plugs, including Sullivant’s milkweed, butterfly weed, and swamp milkweed.
These tagging events and plantings are made possible through the Environmental Action Grant awarded to the Monarch Joint Venture by NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, and are part of the Charity of Choice volunteer initiative, which logged 1,841 service hours in the month of September. Through its Dollars for Doers program, NIPSCO recognizes employee volunteerism by awarding donations or service grants to nonprofits based on the number of volunteer hours. In 2024, this support helped transform 16 acres at Cedar Swamp Wetland Conservation Area, laying a strong foundation for ongoing pollinator conservation.
Following the momentum of last year’s efforts, this year’s program expands opportunities for hands-on conservation and monarch research. Every butterfly tagged and every native plant established moves Indiana closer to a more resilient, diverse landscape that supports monarchs, other pollinators, and wildlife.
The Monarch Joint Venture is grateful to NIPSCO and the NiSource Charitable Foundation for their partnership and continued support and is proud to advance our work together to connect communities, science, and conservation across Northern Indiana.