1,800 Monarch Waystations and Counting
Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 2:01 pm by JimFiled under Monarch Waystations | 5 Comments »
The number of certified Monarch Waystations continues to grow. In 2007, we added nearly 800 habitats to the registry and the total number of registered Monarch Waystations to date is 1,835. We hope to add another 1,000 (or more!) habitats to the Monarch Waystation Registry in 2008 but we need your help!
The growth of the Monarch Waystation Program is clearly dependent on publicity but the publicity has to be at the right time and right place. One year we placed an advertisement promoting Monarch Waystations in a magazine for birders. The cost was not insignificant. Although the publication has a good circulation, the response was very weak. Given this experience and our extremely limited budget, advertising is out of the question and we have to rely on articles about our program in newspapers and magazines to get our message to the public. Last February an article on our program and Monarch Waystations appeared the gardening section of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Gardeners save the day as butterfly habitats disappear”
The response to this article was overwhelming and in a matter of a few days we had orders for over 1,000 California Monarch Waystation Seed Kits. Articles in Midwest Living, Mother Earth News (“Relief for Weary Monarch Butterflies“) and the Chicago Tribune also generated good responses. However, we can’t count on the media to inform the public of this program every year so we are asking all of you to help spread the word. A number of people with Monarch Waystations have helped promote the program through contributions to online forums and through blogs. Others hand out literature at public events and during educational programs. Bob Morton (Monarch Waystation #613) has a sidewalk garden where he displays the Monarch Waystation sign to which he has attached a “take” box containing brochures describing the value of creating habitats for monarchs. All of these methods are great ways to get the public’s attention. Please help us spread the word!
Our special thanks to all who have participated in this program. We appreciate your continued support of Monarch Watch and monarch conservation.
5 Responses to “1,800 Monarch Waystations and Counting”
By sandy hanaway on Jan 20, 2008
Four years ago my last child left home & i was lost for what to do with my self & our empty pasture that was once home to the kids’ pony. The pasture looked as empty as my heart felt. At my daughters request i visited Powell Botanical Gardens for the first time. Wow, i couldn’t believe what i had been missing. Now days my pasture is a busy place and so am i. I have a butterfly habitat now and i spend every chance i get with my camera in hand photographing these beauties. I even won Missouri Lottery Calendar contest with a pic of a Tiger swallowtail. I want to learn more about Monarch Waystations.
By Sharon Kugler on Jan 21, 2008
When will Monarch Waystation kits be available again from your site? I live in western Long Island, New York, and I’m planning for the spring.
By Jim on Jan 22, 2008
We have lots of information about our Monarch Waystation program online at
monarchwatch.org/waystations
The 2008 Waystation Seed Kits are being packed up right now and will be available shortly – stay tuned for an announcement very soon!
By Shirley Weismann on Feb 2, 2008
I live in a residential area and I started growing milkweed and raising Monarchs long before I heard about Monarch Watch. I got a lot of negative comments. I joined Monarch Watch as soon as I heard about it and put my sign on my front lawn for all to see. Now I hear interestered comments and questions. It does pay to advertise.
By Leta Boraggina on Jun 16, 2008
My husband and I installed a waystation at my children’s school which is also a church. I called around and asked for donations from local garden centers and got many donations for the garden. Several newspapers also covered the story and they have gotten hundreds of calls for information. We posted the Waysation sign in the garden and also made monarchwatch waystation creation brochures (from the PDF file) available by using a real estate brochure holder and put it right in the garden for people to take when they visit the garden. The school and church were very supportive as they are going to include the monarch waystation in their curriculum next year. I believe that if you give people and businesses the information for creating a waystation and be available for guidance, they will be eager to create a waystation.