Rob Stout and ISU collaborators will host a field day to talk about successful examples of merging water quality and pollinator habitat conservation practices. For more information check out the news article about this event or download the event flier from Iowa Learning Farms. Read more about Bioreactor and Monarch Habitat Field Day
AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will host a pasture restoration and monarch habitat field day Sept. 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Nathan Anderson’s farm near Cherokee. The event is free, open to the whole family and includes a complimentary meal. Read more about Pasture Restoration and Monarch Habitat Field Day
Farmers and landowners who want to increase pollinator habitat while also improving water quality should consider the benefits of saturated riparian buffers enhanced with native wildflowers.
Establishing pollinator habitat within riparian zones, where the agricultural value is lower and where the conservation and wildlife benefits are likely high, can be a win-win.
“Landowners looking for the combined benefits of native habitat and water quality can capture both by establishing pollinator-friendly species on top of saturated buffers,” said Dana Schweitzer, program coordinator with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium at Iowa State University.
Continue reading the press release here or find the new publication here.
A recently published analysis of data on tagged monarch butterflies migrating from the United States to Mexico emphasizes the importance of creating new habitat to ensure the future of the species’ iconic migratory pattern...
Click here to read the rest of this article on Iowa State University News.
The World Wildlife Fund, Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve released its 2020-2021 overwintering monarch population report on February 25, 2021. Adult monarch butterflies covered approximately five acres of forest canopy in Mexico, an area about two acres smaller than last year. Scientists estimate a long-term average of 15 acres of occupied forest canopy is needed to sustain the eastern North America monarch population and its continental migration. The report notes loss of habitat in the United States, forest degradation in Mexico, and extreme weather events contribute to the population decline over the last 25 years...
Click here to continue reading this article on the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium website.
