CONCORD, NH – The monarch butterfly population in North America is in serious decline. Come to a free workshop to learn about the life cycle of the monarch, how tagging if helping to track their migration, and what plants they need to survive.
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension, the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), and NextEra Energy will present this monarch monitoring and migration tagging workshop on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Chapman’s Landing on River Road in Stratham, NH. There will be three sessions to choose from offered at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.
Monarchs arrive in the Granite State each summer to breed in local milkweed patches, and large numbers of adult butterflies migrate through New Hampshire on their way back to Mexico where they will spend the winter. During the past two decades, there has been a documented drop in the overwintering monarch population in Mexico of 90%. Loss of breeding habitat in the US and Canada, climate change, and disease have all contributed to this decline.
These sessions will include field demonstrations of monarch tagging, which is the technique used to determine how many of the butterflies that pass through New Hampshire make their return to Mexico. Participants will also learn about milkweed seed collection and preparation and see living examples of monarch life stages from caterpillar to butterfly. Pollinator seed packets will be available to take home, and refreshments will be served.
“This is a great opportunity to learn about a species at risk and see science in action in a fun and engaging way,” said Heidi Holman, Wildlife Diversity Biologist at the NH Fish and Game Department. “It is a chance for young and old alike to help preserve an iconic species and engage in an important citizen science project.”
To sign up for this free event, go to https://naturegroupie.org/experiences/monarch-monitoring-milkweed-demonstration. Preregistration is requested.
This citizen scientist training is supported by the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) which is a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the United States.
MJV’s mission is to protect monarchs and their migration by collaborating with partners to deliver habitat conservation, education, and scien