The Monarch Joint Venture would like to welcome Nebraska Monarchs to the MJV partnership.
“Nebraska Monarchs is rooted in the belief that small actions can change the world,” Nebraska Monarchs President Robert Gittins says. This belief has led the organization in its efforts to restore pollinator habitat in Nebraska communities since 2015.
Each year, Nebraska Monarchs gives away over 7,000 native plants that are used to create over 300 micro-habitats in eastern Nebraska. Each garden features plants that bloom throughout the year, providing key nectar resources for a variety of pollinators, as well as milkweed, monarchs’ only host plant.
Nebraska Monarchs also provides free garden plans on its website to help community groups and individuals create their own micro-habitats and make a measurable impact on the amount and quality of pollinator habitat in Omaha and surrounding areas.
Since 2022, the year that Nebraska Monarchs officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the organization has focused on expanding native plant giveaways, also starting a new program called “Native Gardens for Shared Spaces.” In 2025, as part of this program, at least 50 groups, including non-profits, churches, schools, neighborhoods, and businesses, received between 32 and 64 plants as well as educational signage to display in shared outdoor spaces.
In addition to free plant giveaways, the organization provides education through its website, social media channels, and Plant One, Take One events, where participants help plant a public garden and then get to take native plants home for their own gardens.
In May 2024 and 2025, Nebraska Monarchs hosted an environmental expo as part of their main annual plant giveaway. At this event, the first 250 households received a free predesigned native perennial garden with an educational yard sign. Participants could then ask questions of local community experts and explore more ways to support local wildlife and habitat.
We’re excited to see what Nebraska Monarchs, the Monarch Joint Venture, and our partner network can achieve in the future.
For more information about Nebraska Monarchs, please visit https://www.nemonarchs.com/.
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. Photos courtesy of Nebraska Monarchs.