Are you located in the Upper Midwest and have CRP? Contact the Monarch Lab to enroll your site in a monarch habitat research project on CRP sites!
In the past few decades North American monarch populations have declined in large numbers. A recent study found substantial probability that the eastern population, which includes monarchs in Wisconsin and Minnesota, could decline to a level where population recovery is no longer feasible in the next 20 years. While many factors could be contributing to the decline, habitat loss and changing agricultural practices in the Upper Midwestern US appear to be driving factors. Landowners and government agencies are working together to provide monarch habitat, which must include milkweed plants for the caterpillars and nectar plants for the adult butterflies. Because the need is so great, it’s important to ensure that habitat restoration is based on a good understanding of how seeds in the ground translate to plants on the landscape.
The University of Minnesota Monarch Lab is looking to monitor restored prairies currently enrolled in CRP in the Upper Midwest (ideally within a 2-3 hour radius of the Twin Cities) to help tease out features of restorations that promote excellent monarch habitat. Ideally, they would like information on what seeds were planted at the sites, when they were planted, and what management practices have occurred since planting. To monitor these sites, technicians will visit them four to five times during the summer of 2017. They will collect data on the abundance of milkweed and nectar plants, and whether monarchs are using the plants. Monitoring sites five times allows them to assess early, middle, and late breeding season nectar sources. The ultimate goal is to help landowners make informed decisions about what to plant and how to manage prairies.
If you have CRP in this study area where monitoring could occur, the Monarch Lab would love to include you! Please visit the Monarch Lab website if you are interested in including your CRP land in this study.