USA: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuges

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USA: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuges – Monarch Madness.

Hundreds of national wildlife refuges and a host of programs by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service protect and restore monarch butterfly habitat, monitor their transcontinental migration, and teach thousands of school children about their unique migration from Mexico through the United States on to Canada – and then back again.

The programs – including participation in the Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network spanning the U.S., Canada and Mexico – are all critical to the health of monarch butterflies. Canada, the United States and Mexico joined forces on behalf of the pollinator under the North American Monarch Conservation Plan, announced on June 27 by the tri-national Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The plan outlines a collaborative agenda of nearly 60 specific actions.

“Monarch butterflies not only capture the imagination of our children – who will be tomorrow’s conservation leaders – but their numbers are one way to judge how well we are protecting critical habitat,” said H. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “The Service is determined that the monarch will thrive for our grandchildren to marvel.”

Education about monarchs has been a Fish and Wildlife Service priority. The Service and the nonprofit Protección de la Fauna Mexicana A.C. (Profauna A.C.), for example, developed The Monarch Butterfly Manual, Royal Mail for those teaching students in grades pre-kindergarten to 12. In concert with other federal agencies, the Service developed the “Monarch Butterfly in North America ” Web site to provide a broad array of news and information to teachers, students and anyone fascinated by the insect whose annual migration cycle has been described by some as the most spectacular in the insect world. The Web site is www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/index.shtml

Five national wildlife refuges – two in Kansas, and the remainder in Texas, Iowa and Florida – are part of the trilateral Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network, initiated in May 2005 to collaborate on habitat preservation and restoration; research and monitoring; and environmental education and public outreach.

Working on a range of programs, America’s national wildlife refuges have been in the forefront of monarch conservation and environmental education. Here are just a few examples:

Texas: Austin, Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. The Balcones Canyonlands NWR is a part of the Sister Protected Area Network – began in 2000 to tag monarchs as they travel through central Texas from Oklahoma , Minnesota and Missouri . In addition, the refuge reaches children with “Going Buggy,” an educational program for those in grades 3-5. “Going Buggy” fulfills some of the state’s science education requirements and gives teacher information on a range of insects – including the magnificent monarch. In the past year, the refuge has invited school science labs to let monarchs emerge in schools by providing chrysalis from caterpillars attracted to the milkweed planted in flowerbeds around the new refuge headquarters.

The milkweed has attracted monarchs by the score, according to Balcones Canyonlands Refuge Manager Deborah Holle. “We didn’t really appreciate how much people are fascinated by monarchs. We have had a tremendous response to ‘Going Buggy’.”

During this year’s National Wildlife Refuge Week, the refuge will invite people to watch butterflies at their leisure in a tent set up for the celebration October 11. Kids and families will be able to look at butterflies – including monarchs – to their hearts’ content and, in the process, and learn to distinguish monarchs from other butterflies. (www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/texas/balcones)

Iowa: Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

The Neal Smith NWR is another refuge in the Sister Protected Area Network, has been working for nearly two decades to recreate – essentially from scratch - more than 5,000 acres of tallgrass prairie and oak savanna, a task never before undertaken in America’s Midwest. Tall grass prairie and oak savanna – composed of bur oak, hickory and walnut trees – were the native plant communities before large numbers of settlers came to Iowa in the 1840s. Nearly 100 percent of the original prairie landscape in Iowa - essential habitat for the monarch – has succumbed to the plow.

The tallgrass prairie restoration began in 1991, when Neal Smith Refuge was established.   Today, about 3,000 acres have been restored.   Ultimately, the prairie and savanna are expected to cover about 8,600 acres.

The refuge has been tagging monarch for about three years, often inviting school and scout groups to participate as an educational avenue.   On September 13, the refuge will hold its annual Monarch Madness Day, when “children” of all ages get to tag or just learn about the butterfly. (www.tallgrass.org)

Florida: St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Another member of the Sister Protected Area Network is the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge which is holding its 20th annual Monarch Butterfly Festival October 25, when 3,000-4,000 visitors are expected at an extravaganza that fills up hotel rooms more than a month in advance. The University of Georgia will be just one of many exhibitors. The university has been studying a parasite that causes monarch offspring to be born with deformities. Additionally, native plant nurseries will show plants that attract and feed monarchs and other butterflies, while the refuge’s photo club will take shots of people in adult-sized monarch costumes – just to make the concept of monarchs personal, indeed.

The festival was launched in the late 1980s after a University of Florida researcher was nearly mowed down by huge numbers of volunteers who wanted to help tag monarchs.   The researcher was working to identify monarch stopping-off points on their way to Mexico. St. Marks Refuge turned out to be one of those spots.

The outpouring of interest not only spawned the festival, but has resulted in continuing research by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at St. Marks Refuge, which gets more than two dozen volunteers willing to get into the field well before dawn to tag monarch each year from mid October to about December 1.   “We use the festival to help people understand why habitat is needed in more than just one place, and how a single habitat can benefit a range of wildlife,” said Robin Will, St. Marks Refuge ranger.

Finally, the refuge offers “Butterfly Encounters” for youngsters in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, which meets the state’s science curriculum standard.   The educational program teaches youngsters a science vocabulary along with the life cycle of monarchs, the story of their migration, and the threats to their existence. The course’s field trip brings students face-to-face with monarchs and as many as 10 other species of butterflies.

“Teachers have put milkweed tents into classrooms, giving kids a chance to watch the whole lifecycle,” said Will.   “By that time, the kids – and the teachers -- are gripped by monarch fever.” (www.fws.gov/saintmarks)

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov

Content and images provided by U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services. Copyright 2008.

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