The MJV is pleased to welcome Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG) to our partnership. This organization is a committee of the non-profit Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia that is dedicated specifically to monarch education, habitat restoration, and citizen science. MAG’s goals mirror those of MJV, to conserve monarchs and their habitats and engage a broad audience around this issue. Their concentration of work in the southeastern U.S. is important in our nationwide effort and we’re excited to enhance efforts in this region. MAG works together with teachers, students, families, communities, businesses and others, to study monarchs and restore pollinator habitat across the state of Georgia. Their mission is to inspire caretakers of the natural environment through monarch and pollinator education. Some MAG programs include:
- A Pollinator Habitat Certification Program
- Pollinator Habitat Grants for habitat projects across Georgia
- Educator workshops and sessions: These monarch workshops educate both formal and non-formal educators to conduct citizen science and monarch education.
- Plant sales: Georgians can find GA native milkweeds and native plants appropriate as host and nectar plants for pollinators at MAG plant sales.
- Web pages and newsletters: The MAG website provides links and resources for citizen science, education, habitat restoration and conservation. The Chrysalis Newsletter, first published in 2005, continues to educate interested members with topics related to the monarch butterfly and pollinators, including research, citizen science opportunities, trips and events, and habitat restoration.
MAG Grant Administrator Susan Meyers states, “We are honored to join the ranks of the Monarch Joint Venture partners and hope that this association will both strengthen and provide additional opportunities for the message of monarch conservation to reach the population in Georgia and throughout the southeastern U.S.” With MAG’s existing regional and national partnerships, they are a great addition to the MJV.
The MJV is excited about the connections they will bring to an ever-growing conservation issue and to our partnership. According to MJV Steering Committee Co-Chair Karen Oberhauser, “Monarchs Across Georgia has a long-term investment in monarch conservation. This dedicated team has worked closely with other individuals and organizations throughout the U.S., and has made important contributions to our understanding of monarchs in the southeastern U.S., as well as to their conservation.”
To learn more about Monarchs Across Georgia visit their website.
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 Kim Bailey.