Knowledgebase
Monarch / Milkweed community ventures #889272
Asked November 03, 2024, 3:04 PM EST
We are a small group of people here in SE Michigan (Monroe county) starting a community group to advocate for the Monarch. We have given a few talks to some groups in our area. We're using any information we receive to collectively educate & spark interest as many as possible to help bring back the numbers that have desperately declined. We are a non-profit. We are wondering if there is any available resources that we can utilize in our project that we are unaware of through our extension office? We would appreciate any information to help us through this new adventure! Any help is welcome.
Monroe County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi Bari,
I would suggest that you and/or leadership take the Foundations of Gardening course offered thru MSUE if you haven't already. This is open to anyone and is the educational component to becoming an MSU Extension Master Gardener, but there is no requirement to become one. This will provide you and/or your leadership with a solid, science-based gardening background. Scholarships are available, with application opening soon and course registration coming after that.
I would also encourage you and your group to look at science based resources and share that information. Below are some of our MSUE resources which do have some overlap:
ReGrow Milkweed - this project was from several years ago, but was really interesting to participate in as a citizen science project. The results have been shared frequently in online forums that are monarch centric.
SEMBA - Southeast Michigan Butterfly Association is located in Wayne County and has some MSUE Master Gardeners involved. They are a local resource that may be of benefit to your group for some brainstorming.
You're very welcome. All the best.
