(Photo courtesy of the Sunriver Nature Center)
Monarchs are the best know butterflies in the world, but experts say their numbers are declining alarmingly. Reasons why, and ways to protect the species will be presented in May at two special programs sponsored by the Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory, Monarch Advocates of Central Oregon (MACO) and Great Old Broads for Wilderness.
On May 10, Tom Landis from the Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates will talk on Bringing Monarchs Back to Central Oregon. Landis attributes the decline in Monarch populations to the loss of native milkweed plants brought about by farming practices and land development. It is estimated that 50 percent of western milkweed is gone, and this is the sole plant where adults lay eggs and provide meals for caterpillars.
According to Landis, Oregon is a critical location for western Monarchs as they migrate from wintering in California to as far north as Canada. “Creating monarch way stations and pollinator gardens on their flyways is possibly our only hope of protecting this diminishing species,” he says.
The program begins at 6:30pm in Sunriver Nature Center’s Pozzi Building. Admission is free, but seating is limited. Reservations at 541-593-4394.
On May 12, at Bend’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Oregon, a symposium titled “Monarchs, Milkweeds –– and YOU” will highlight information about the Monarch’s migration through central Oregon and ways citizens can offer support through habitat restoration and citizen science projects. Speakers in addition to Tom Landis will include Katya Spiecker, founder of Monarch Advocates of Central Oregon; US Forest Service geneticist Matt Horning, and David James, Associate Professor of entomology at Washington State University. Spiecker will highlight local conservation work, Horning will cover the regional monitoring project, James will discuss the Western Monarch Tagging Program, and Landis will talk about tagging and citizen science in Southern Oregon.
Doors open at 6pm, presentation runs 6:30–8pm. This event is free and open to the public.
