Pollinator Habitat and a Changing Climate: Long-term Monitoring on BLM Lands
MJV has engaged in the widespread monitoring of California BLM lands, using the IMMP, since 2021. Building from our past monitoring efforts, this project aims to establish long-term monitoring plots in areas with known monarch habitat and collect three years of baseline data (2023-2025). IMMP surveys occur in diverse ecosystems, covering all 13 primary ecoregions throughout the state, filling important data gaps in understudied regions of the state. In 2024 alone, technicians documented over 9,000 milkweed plants and 34,700 stems within survey plots on BLM land. To learn more about their travels, visit
Through this project, Red Boot Ecology is conducting seedling establishment trials for Asclepias cordifolia, an important early-emerging milkweed resource that is historically challenging to grow. Ongoing trials compare the efficacy of direct seeding and container planting to develop best management practices for using A. cordifolia in restoration plantings.