MONARCH WATCH ANNOUNCES BRING BACK THE MONARCHS CAMPAIGN

[Mona Miller]

News Release -- MONARCH WATCH ANNOUNCES BRING BACK THE MONARCHS CAMPAIGN

"In real estate it's location, location, location and for monarchs and other wildlife it's habitat, habitat, habitat", said Chip Taylor, Director of Monarch Watch. Monarch Watch, started in 1992 as an outreach program dedicated to engaging the public in studies of monarchs, is now concentrating its efforts on monarch conservation. "We have a lot of habitat in this country but we are losing it at a rapid pace. Development is consuming 6,000 acres a day, a loss of 2.2 million acres per year. Further, the overuse of herbicides along roadsides and elsewhere is turning diverse areas that support monarchs, pollinators, and other wildlife into grass-filled landscapes that support few species. The adoption of genetically modified soybeans and corn have further reduced monarch habitat. If these trends continue, monarchs are certain to decline, threatening the very existence of their magnificent migration", said Taylor.

To address these changes and restore habitats for monarchs, pollinators, and other wildlife, Monarch Watch is initiating a nationwide landscape restoration program called "Bring Back The Monarchs". The goals of this program are to restore 19 milkweed species, used by monarch caterpillars as food, to their native ranges throughout the United States and to encourage the planting of nectar-producing native flowers that support adult monarchs and other pollinators. This program is an outgrowth of the Monarch Waystation Program started by Monarch Watch in 2005. There are now over 4,000 certified Monarch Waystations - mostly habitats created in home gardens, schoolyards, parks, and commercial landscaping. "While these sites contribute to monarch conservation, it is clear that to save the monarch migration we need to do more," Taylor said. " We need to think on a bigger scale and we need to think ahead, to anticipate how things are going to change as a result of population growth, development, changes in agriculture, and most of all, changes in the climate," said Taylor.

According to Taylor we need a comprehensive plan on how to manage the fragmented edges and marginal areas created by development and agriculture since it is these edges that support monarchs, many of our pollinators, and the many forms of wildlife that are sustained by the seeds, fruits, nuts, berries, and foliage that result from pollination. "In effect," Taylor argues, "we need a new conservation ethic, one dealing with edges and marginal areas that addresses the changes of the recent past and anticipates those of the future."

For more information on this program, please visit the Bring Back the Monarchs website --
http://BringBackTheMonarchs.org

Please help us promote this program.

--
Monarch Watch
monarch@ku.edu
http://www.MonarchWatch.org/
Dplex-L: send message "info Dplex-L" to Listproc@ku.edu
1-888-TAGGING (toll-free!) -or- 1-785-864 4441
University of Kansas
1200 Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66045-7534
Create, Conserve and Protect Monarch Habitats

[Mona Miller]

I finally got my seeds sent out today.

http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the- ... he-details
Scroll down to "Seed Collecting and Processing" for more information on sending seeds to Monarch Watch.

On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 2:59 PM, Chip Taylor <chip@ku.edu> wrote:
We will gladly accept milkweed seeds of any and all species (except those that are rare or endangered) from anywhere in the US.
We need to know the origin of the seeds, the date (approximate) and the name of the collector. In the case of common milkweed, we need to know whether the seeds represent one patch (clone) or several.
The seeds can be sent to:

Chip Taylor
Monarch Watch
University of Kansas
1200 Sunnyside Avenue
Lawrence, KS 66045-7534

Thanks, Chip

[Paul Cherubini]

I collected alot of wild milkweed seed this past Sept. But what am I supposed to do with it to "Bring Back The Monarchs?"

Plant it along roadsides? Might that be illegal?
Plant it along railroad tracks? Might that be illegal?
Plant it along utility line corridors? Might that be illegal?
Plant it along crop margins? Might that be illegal?

Assuming I am able to find places (besides my own property) where it would be lawful to plant the milkweed seeds, how and when should I sow them?

The Bring Back Campaign website doesn’t address my questions:
http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the- ... he-details
http://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/prop.htm

[Mona Miller]

All you want to do is complain. You are a smart guy, I'm sure you know what to do with your seeds.