One of our goals is to provide you, our readers, with important updates and success stories about monarch conservation across North America to equip you with the tools you need to get more involved. We share in our news updates about our newest partners, conservation successes, citizen science, education, the status of the monarch population, and more. To learn more about where we should be focusing these updates, earlier this year we sent out a questionnaire to get your feedback. Our team reviewed the nearly 100 survey responses and would like to thank everyone that took the time to share their thoughts! The breadth of our readership is beginning to reflect the “all-hands-on-deck” approach to monarch conservation that is needed, and we hope to gain more followers in different stakeholder groups that may be less familiar with this issue.
We were happy to hear that most people (71%) use information provided in our updates to support monarch conservation in many ways! A few major themes shone through. Readers like you are restoring monarch habitat and implementing programs on land that they manage. From growing native plants in a flowerpot on your porch, to changing mowing practices along a roadside, to restoring an expansive prairie, habitat improvement efforts are important on all scales. Readers are also sharing milkweed seeds and plants with friends and family, and rearing monarchs responsibly. With 90% of our respondents owning land or having influence over land management activities, we are excited about the potential to continue to support our readers to improve these areas for monarchs and pollinators.
Many of you are using this information to educate others in community-based settings, with youth focused groups, in advising city officials, and on social media. Spreading awareness is critical to monarch conservation, and you are doing an amazing job! Please continue to share resources the MJV and our partners have to offer with your networks, and don’t hesitate to reach out to us with thoughts or suggestions!
To continue providing you with valuable information to improve your work and learning, we will work to incorporate the feedback you’ve given us. Based on the feedback we received, it seems we’re doing a pretty good job of covering important topics relevant to monarch conservation and providing readers with tools they need to get involved. Readers felt that some topics, like new partner announcements, were less relevant to them. For these posts, and in general, we will work on keeping posts relevant and brief.
After looking through the survey responses, it seems like readers want more of everything! The most frequent requests include: (1) tips on inspiring others to get involved in monarch conservation, (2) conservation efforts, both successes and failures, (3) finding funding sources, (4) science and research of monarchs, migration, and populations, (5) the western monarch population, (6) approaching local agencies and corporate landowners, (7) specific actions to take to improve monarch habitat, and (8) getting schools involved. Watch for these topics in the coming months, and let us know if we’ve missed anything on your list!
It was incredible to hear from our readers on how you are involved in monarch conservation, and how we can continue to support your involvement and learning. As one reader mentioned, monarch conservation stories are truly a beacon of hope!
The Monarch Joint Venture is a national partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, 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. Header photo by Candy Sarikonda.