The Monarch Project was established to encourage Master Naturalists to become involved in the activities of the Arkansas Monarch Conservation Partnership. This group of citizens, federal and state government agencies, conservation and agricultural organizations, among others, seeks to conserve and enhance the existing habitat and to encourage creation of additional plantings which will aid the survival of the monarch butterfly. The monarch, which is an iconic insect, serves as the “poster child” for work that needs to be done to help many pollinators in decline. This committee will become more active as the partnership moves past the initial planning phases. Volunteers will be needed in the following areas: outreach, habitat conservation, research and funding.
At right, the current feed of observations from the Arkansas Monarch Mapping Project on iNaturalist.