Fwd: Monarch Watch - Fall 2011
RChyinski at aol.com
RChyinski at aol.com
Tue Aug 2 12:54:39 EDT 2011
____________________________________
From: jlovett at ku.edu
To: MONARCH-WATCH-UPDATE at ku.edu
Sent: 8/2/2011 10:29:35 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Monarch Watch - Fall 2011
Greetings Monarch Watchers!
The fall monarch migration is almost upon us! This is just a quick
update to let you know what's been going on at Monarch Watch and what
is coming up as we prepare for our 20th fall season! :-)
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Monarch Population Update
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A lot has happened since Monarch Watch was created in 1992. We've
seen the overwintering population in Mexico increase each year from
1994 to 1996, only to crash inexplicably in 1997. We have seen ups
and downs in overwintering numbers - but mostly downs since 2003. In
fact, the population has been below the long-term average for the
last seven years. The downward trend is now statistically significant
(Brower, et al. 2011) and it is clear that we have entered a new era
of monarch numbers.
The great migrations of the 90s are a thing of the past. In the
future, we can expect overwintering populations in Mexico of 2-6
hectares. The main reason for the decline is loss of habitat. Monarch
habitat has been reduced by at least 140 million acres in the last 10
years - about a fifth of the total breeding area available to
monarchs has been lost. At least 100 million acres of habitat has
been lost due to the adoption of herbicide resistant corn and
soybeans.
So, where does this leave us and what does this mean for tagging?
We can expect a low year for monarchs, perhaps not as low as 2009
(1.92 hectares) or 2004 (2.19 hectares) but close to these numbers.
The migration should be particularly low in the New England area and
the numbers at Cape May will be low as well. The central region
(Ontario, MI, OH, IN, IL) will see a modest migration and could
produce more monarchs than the area defined by the eastern Dakotas,
MN, WI, and IA. Even though the population will be down from
historical highs, there will still be plenty of monarchs to tag.
Please visit our blog (http://monarchwatch.org/blog) for a more
detailed account of the current monarch population and updates as the
season progresses.
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2011 Season Tagging Kits
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Our tags for the 2011 Monarch Watch Tagging Kits arrived recently and
we sent out the first batch of kits on Friday. Those of you that
ordered between January 1st and June 30th of this year should receive
your tags within the next few days.
If you haven't ordered your tagging kits yet, there is still plenty
of time before the migration begins - but the tags are going fast. If
you would like to participate in monarch tagging this fall, please
place your order for tags as soon as possible so that you don't miss
out.
If you would like to participate in the 2011 monarch tagging season
this fall, be sure to order your tags soon! As many of you know, we
have a limited number of tags created each year and we usually run
out before the end of the migration season. Tags are available on a
first-come first-serve basis and we will begin shipping kits out by
the 1st of August - ahead of the migration in your area (to determine
approximate timing please see
http://monarchwatch.org/tagmig/peak.html).
Monarch Tagging Kits are available via the Monarch Watch Shop at
http://shop.monarchwatch.org/category.aspx?c=tagging_kits
Remember, each purchase helps support Monarch Watch - thank you for
your interest and support!
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Chip in for Monarch Watch!
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Monarch Watch is turning 20 and needs your help! If you are in a
position to offer financial support to Monarch Watch (or if you know
someone who might be), please consider making a fully tax-deductible
donation of any amount during our 2011 "Chip in for Monarch Watch"
fundraising campaign.
It is no secret that Monarch Watch founder and director Chip Taylor
is passionate about monarchs and Monarch Watch - he is genuinely
concerned about the future of the monarch migration and that of our
program as well. In honor of Chip we officially launched in 2009 the
now annual "Chip in for Monarch Watch" fundraising campaign - a
chance for Monarch Watchers, colleagues, friends, and family across
the planet to show their support for Chip and the Monarch Watch
program he brought to life two decades ago.
Last year's campaign was a huge success, raising $23,000 via nearly
500 donors - wow!
We encourage you to spend a little time reading through previous
donor comments - the connections that are facilitated by monarchs and
Monarch Watch are truly extraordinary.
Complete campaign details at: http://monarchwatch.org/chip/
Thank you for your continued support!
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Monarch Rearing Kits
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As many of you know, sending out Monarch Rearing Kits is a big part
of our program. The fall is our busiest season and we send out
thousands of caterpillars each week to addresses all over the U.S.
(east of the Rocky Mountains). We have lots of kits on the shipping
calendar, but there is still time to place an order. Available
shipping weeks appear on the product page linked below.
Our Monarch Rearing Kit contains fourteen to sixteen first to third
instar monarch larvae (caterpillars) and rearing instructions. The
larvae arrive in small cups and must be transferred to milkweed
plants or leaves to feed. Please make sure you have fresh milkweed
available before your caterpillars arrive. Each caterpillar generally
needs 18 inches of milkweed to pupate. Pupation will occur in about
10 days and adults will emerge 10-14 days after pupation.
Monarch Rearing Kits are available via the Monarch Watch Shop:
http://shop.monarchwatch.org/store/c/365-Rearing-Monarchs.aspx
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Festival of Butterflies
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August 5-7 & 12-14 (Friday-Sunday over two weekends)
Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO
Monarch Watch will once again be on hand at the Festival of
Butterflies at Powell Gardens (our 10th year!) to answer any
questions you have about monarchs or any of our education,
conservation, or research projects. We'll be bringing lots of show
and tell so you'll be able to get up close and personal with monarchs
(all life stages) and many other butterflies and moths :-) It's fun
for the whole family!
The festival runs August 5-7 & 12-14 - complete details are available
at http://powellgardens.org/
Check out lots of photos from last year's festival at
http://on.fb.me/oAhn9b - we'll post plenty during this year's
festival as well!
SEE YOU THERE!
Powell Gardens is about 30 miles east of Kansas City on U.S. Highway 50.
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Monarch Watch Fall Open House
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Saturday, 10 September 2011 - 8a to 3p
Monarch Watch, Lawrence, KS (will be broadcast online as well)
Join us at our Fall Open House at Foley Hall (KU West Campus) on
Saturday, September 10th to celebrate the arrival of migrating
monarchs coming from the north. This free event is designed to please
children and adults alike.
At the Open House you can learn about creating Monarch Waystations
and see the magnificent butterfly and pollinator garden created and
maintained by Margarete Johnson and the Douglas County Master
Gardeners. Weather permitting, you will see an abundance of
butterflies and numerous other small but important pollinators. On a
good day over 20 species of butterflies visit the garden. The
Biohouse, adjacent to the garden, will be filled with monarchs and
other species. The Biohouse and garden contain numerous butterfly
flowers. Bring your cameras. It is well worth a visit.
As usual, we will provide refreshments, lots of show & tell
(including a honey bee observation hive and some "Oh, my!" insects
you may have never seen before), tours of our gardens and lab space,
hands-on activities, games, videos, monarch tagging demonstrations,
iChat videoconferencing, and, of course, lots of monarch
caterpillars, pupae, and butterflies!
We also plan to have a limited number of Monarch pupae (to emerge as
a butterfly at home or at school) that will be given to each child in
attendance, while supply lasts.
If you can't be there, be sure to visit us online at the address
below to see what we're doing - we plan on having at least a couple
of webcams broadcasting the day's events.
Photos, live broadcasts, and other details at:
http://monarchwatch.org/openhouse
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Monarch Tagging Event
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Saturday, 17 September 2011 - 7:30-11:30a
Baker Wetlands, Lawrence, KS (will be broadcast online as well)
Once again, Monarch Watch and Jayhawk Audubon Society are sponsoring
Monarch butterfly tagging for the public at the Baker University
Wetlands. The wetlands are located along 31st Street between Haskell
and Louisiana. There is no charge to participants and no experience
is necessary - so bring yourself, your kids (all ages), your friends,
and your neighbors! If you have a net, bring that too, though Monarch
Watch and JAS will provide the tags, nets, and instructions in how to
net and tag monarchs. In 2001, 325 participants tagged nearly 3000 of
the estimated 20,000 Monarchs present, and at least 85 of those
tagged were recovered at the winter roost sites in Mexico! You can
view all of these recoveries tagged at these events by searching for
Lawrence-tagged monarchs in our searchable recovery database.
Every year, tens to hundreds of thousands of Monarchs stop on their
way south to refuel on the nectar from the ocean of yellow Bidens
flowers at the wetlands, a fantastic site in its own right. We will
have check-in and information tables just inside the boardwalk
entrance to the wetlands so you can arrive and leave whenever you
please. The monarchs are usually roosting or clustering (sometimes in
spectacular concentrations!) until around 8:30a. As it warms up, they
begin foraging on the Bidens flowers around the boardwalk.
Photos, live broadcasts, and other details at:
http://monarchwatch.org/wetlands
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Our Amazon Earnings
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As you may already know, you can help support Monarch Watch with each
purchase at Amazon.com and Endless.com (Amazon's specialized Shoe and
Handbag store). Monarch Watch earns a small referral fee equal to
4-15% of the item total when you use the links available on our site
to visit these online stores.
In the second quarter of 2011 (April-June), 436 items were ordered in
support of Monarch Watch, earning our program $628.96!
Details are available at http://monarchwatch.org/amazon/
A complete list of items is available for those that are curious to
see what folks are buying to support Monarch Watch. Note: No personal
information is tied to purchases; that is, we do not know who
purchased the items, only that the items were purchased via the
link(s) from our site and therefore in support of our program.
http://monarchwatch.org/blog/2011/07/our-amazon-earnings-2011-q2/
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Monarch Watch Facebook Page
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We now have more than 6,100 Facebook users that "Like" our page and
keep tabs on what's happening at Monarch Watch via
http://facebook.com/monarchwatch
This has become a great way for us to quickly publish photos, videos,
and news items - and also to hear from other Monarch Watchers around
the globe that choose to share their experiences.
We realize that some of you have never used Facebook or even have any
desire to - but don't worry, you do not need to create a Facebook
account to view our page. It is publicly available to anyone that
wants to stop by and see what is going on - a Facebook account is
only required if you want to post a comment, photo, etc. yourself or
automatically receive notifications of new content being posted on
our page.
Check it out!
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Contacting Monarch Watch
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As you might imagine, fall is a very busy time for us here at Monarch
Watch. Not only are we sending out 200,000 tags and tens of thousands
of caterpillars, we have several public events on the calendar and
field requests from blogs, newspapers, magazines, radio, tv, film
crews, and other media. We seem to be quite popular this time of
year! :-)
Given our limited staff, this means that something's gotta give and
if you've ever tried to call or email us in August or September you
know what that is. If you do contact us during this period, rest
assured that you will receive a response from us eventually, it just
may not be in a timely manner. Fear not, though - there are other
ways to get the information you need:
Monarch Watch main site: http://monarchwatch.org
Facebook: http://facebook.com/monarchwatch
Monarch Watch Blog: http://monarchwatch.org/blog
Community Forums: http://monarchwatch.org/forums
Monarch Watch Shop (for any questions about orders of tagging kits,
rearing kits, etc.): http://shop.monarchwatch.org and
mwshop at monarchwatch.org
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About This Monarch Watch List
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Monarch Watch (http://monarchwatch.org) is a nonprofit educational
outreach program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on
the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall
migration.
We rely on private contributions to support the program and we need
your help! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Complete
details are available at http://monarchwatch.org/donate or you can
simply call 800-444-4201 (KU Endowment Association) for more
information about giving to Monarch Watch.
If you have any questions about this email or any of our programs
please feel free to contact us anytime.
Thank you for your continued interest and support!
Monarch Watch
http://monarchwatch.org
monarch at ku.edu
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