Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 9 46 originated. It's expensive and a cur- rent search for our area showed all varieties were sold out, but there's also a helpful list of Milkweed Market Vendors throughout the country. Additionally, free milkweed is available for large-scale restoration projects or for schools or non-profits. There's even recommendations on indoor seed starting. Waystations and Tagging Besides the Milkweed Market, Monarch Watch (www.monarch- watch.org) has other programs for monarch education, research, and advocacy. One is the Monarch Waystation certification, where a garden that meets the requirements, such as ten or more milkweed plants, can be officially recognized. As of August 2019, 26,058 Waystations have been registered with Monarch Watch. Another is the Tagging Program, whereby everyday people become "citizen scientists" who capture migrating monarchs, record the tag code, tag date, gender of the butter- fly, and geographic location, then tag and release them. Akin to lightweight stickers, the tags help answer ques- tions about the origin of monarchs that reach Mexico, the timing and pace of the migration, and changes in geographic distribution. A kit of twenty-five tags can be obtained from Monarch Watch for $15. Also, free tagging demonstrations are held each year at the Manasquan Reservoir Environmental Center in Howell (in September) and New Jersey Audubon holds them at the East Shelter at Cape May Point State Park (in September and early October). Tagging by "citizen scientists" was first used by Dr. Fred Urquhart as early as the 1940s. A Canadian pro- fessor, he was fascinated with mon- archs and wanted to know how far they traveled and where they headed every winter. Long before the Internet and GPS, he put ads in local newspa- pers and magazines asking for tagging help. While much was learned about the monarchs' flight paths, their destination remained a mystery until thirty-five years later. In 1975, an American visiting Mexico knew about Urquhart's program and noticed the abundance of monarchs. He was then hired by Urquhart and spent two years searching the countryside until he finally discovered a forest laden with millions of monarchs clustered in colonies. When butterflies bear- ing Urquhart's tags were found, they knew they had discovered the desti- nation of the migrating monarchs. In 1986, the Mexican government, recognizing he importance of the oyamel forests, created the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Creating the Reserve in Mexico was an important step in saving mon- archs, but so too is saving habitats in our own area. In 2013, members of the NJNABA, in collaboration with Kingwood Township officials and a local naturalist, developed a Habitat Management Plan to pro- mote the conservation of butterflies, other pollinators, and grassland birds on Horseshoe Bend Preserve in Hunterdon County. According to the NJNABA, anyone is welcome to use the plan as a basis to develop man- agement for other areas. Find it at: www.naba.org/chapters/nabanj/ habitats/HBP_Management_Plan_ 2013.pdf. u Coming in the spring 2020 edition of JERSEY SHORE: "How to Attract Caterpillars and Raise Butterflies." Monarch butterflies on Purple Aster at the Monarch Waystation and Native Plant Garden at 13th and South Bayview Avenues in Seaside Park. Ann Hayes JERSEY SHORE NATURE FLIGHT OR PLIGHT, continued from page 45

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