Outreach
- What can I do to help monarchs this summer?
Everyone can get involved in monarch conservation! You can help in a few important ways this summer.
- Create Habitat: plant native milkweed and flowers for monarchs. Monarchs can only eat milkweed as caterpillars, and adult monarchs drink nectar from a variety of flowers! Visit www.plantmilkweed.org for tips and resources to create monarch habitat.
- Spread the Word: we need all hands on deck to bring back the monarch population. Get creative, and spread the word in all kinds of ways! Here are some ideas; talk to your neighbors about monarchs and native habitat, put up a sign explaining your habitat, or do a presentation in your community. You can find resources to help you educate others here.
- Study monarchs: You can contribute to active monarch research by participating in community science. Whether it's a one-time report, monitoring your garden every week, or going to a high-priority site to monitor habitat, you can plug in however is best for you. Find out about the many monarch community science programs here, and join us for the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz this summer July 27 - August 4!
- Join Miles for Monarchs: If you're planning to get outdoors and meet some fitness goals this summer, you can help monarchs on their migration as you go. MJV and Pheasants Forever are partnering with athletes across North America to run, walk, bike, swim, or paddle the monarch migration while raising funds for monarch conservation at the same time! Learn more and sign up here!
- How can I find partners or organizations working on monarch conservation in my area?
You can find partners and other monarch conservation activities on the Monarch Conservation Efforts Map. This map features education/outreach, monitoring and habitat efforts in addition to our partners! Explore the map by filtering by category or zooming into your region!
The Monarch Conservation Efforts Map is available on the Monarch Joint Venture website .- Where can I get monarch photos to use?
Whether you're putting together a presentation or simply want to share your passion for monarchs, having access to high quality monarch photos is useful! You can find a variety of monarch and habitat photos on the Monarch Joint Venture Flickr page here (https://www.flickr.com/photos/monarchjointventure). These are available to use for free at any time, and you do not need a Flickr account to access them.
- How can I support monarch conservation?
With your help, we can accomplish so much more in our efforts to conserve monarchs and their phenomenal migration. There is a wide array of opportunities for community scientists to make substantial contributions to monarch conservation, from planting habitat to educating others, to contributing to community science, to making a donation. Learn more about how you can get involved here!
You can also support monarch conservation by purchasing MJV items on the MJV Store. All proceeds go to supporting our monarch conservation work.
- Are there already made presentations available that I can use to help spread the word about monarch conservation?
Yes! The MJV has presentations about monarchs available for you to download and use in your own educational events. Just visit our Educate Others page to download them from Google Drive.
- How can I fund my monarch project?
Large and small scale monarch conservation projects can benefit from financial support, either to enhance an existing site with native, locally sourced milkweeds or nectar sources, or to establish a new site from scratch. If you are looking to install or enhance habitat for monarchs and other pollinators but don't have the funds available to complete the project yourself, here are a few tips to consider when looking for funding.
- For small-scale garden habitats, the primary funding opportunities are local to your state or community. Some national garden grant opportunities may be available, but these opportunities are not consistently available and may vary from one year to the next. Check out our list of garden grants from across the country. Search online for "garden grant" opportunities and find one that may apply to your area or planting objectives. Locally, you may also find support from a business or other local entity that may have resources to support community development or engagement, or from local clubs such as garden clubs or rotary, for example.
- It is important to connect with other stakeholders in your community that have similar conservation interests. These groups may have funding available for local projects, have information and expertise to share as your project progresses, and may be able to help you leverage opportunities for low-cost or free materials to use for your project. Connect with naturalist groups like Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners, Pheasants Forever, or Wild Ones chapters (among others!) who have similar interests. These groups could provide local seeds they have collected, or may have plant materials to transplant from existing gardens.
- Community scale projects or public projects may be able to work with local native plant producers to provide seeds or plant at low or no-cost. Talk with local nurseries to see if there are opportunities to work closely with them on these types of projects.
- For private landowners with a bit more acreage, conservation resources and funding opportunities are listed by state on this website: http://www.privatelandownernetwork.org/. These resources should be explored thoroughly for funding or cost share opportunities for your state or region.
- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation is currently operating a Monarch Butterlfy Conservation Fund for large projects, and typically have an annual request for proposals.
- Also keep in mind that restoring habitat for monarchs has many co-benefits. Leverage other funding opportunities that prioritize migratory bird habitat, water quality, or another conservation initiative. If you recognize and make connections to multiple species and environmental benefits, you will broaden your opportunities to support a habitat restoration project, even if your primary goal is monarch conservation. Search to find conservation minded funding opportunities through trusts, foundations, or other entities.
- How can I get my school, students or community involved in monarch conservation?
There are many ways for you and your community to get involved with monarch conservation! Visit our Get Involved page to find the right way for you to help protect monarchs.