A Cooperative Effort to Generate and Share Ecological Knowledge

The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) began in 1997 at the University of Minnesota. It involves citizens in collecting data that will help to explain the distribution and abundance patterns of monarch butterflies in North America. In 2002, we received a 3-year grant from the National Science Foundation to greatly expand training, analysis and dissemination aspects of this project. The National Science Foundation, Monarchs in the Classroom, and the Xerxes Society have provided financial and other support for MLMP.

What's New?

Upcoming Training Sessions in Texas
Volunteers for Texas Monarch Watch, Cibolo Nature Center, and Texas Master Naturalist are planning spring and fall Monarch Monitoring Workshops that are a collaboration between MLMP, Monarch Watch, and Journey North. The workshops are scheduled for April 9-10 and September 24-25, 2010. Click here for more information

Monarch Monitoring Handbook
Monarch Butterfly Monitoring in North America: Overview of Initiatives and Protocols is a trilateral resource that can be used in Mexico, the United States and Canada by anyone interested in monarch biology or conservation, including land managers, citizen scientists, and nature center personnel. The goal of the book is to facilitate the development of monarch monitoring programs throughout the monarch's annual cycle of breeding, migrating and overwintering in North America. Individuals thoughout the monarchs' range can choose monitoring protocols that are appropriate to their location and specific needs, contact leaders of existing programs, enter their data, and access the findings of monarch monitoring programs.

Prof. Oberhauser on Discovery Channel Canada
The recent outbreak of pine bark beetles in the overwintering sites is causing concern among monarch biologists throughout North America. Here's what Karen Oberhauser had to say about the problem in a recent interview on the Discovery Channel in Canada.

MLMP Newsletter
MLMP 2009 Newsletter

Project MonarchHealth
Do you have monarchs near your home or garden? Then sign up to participate in Project MonarchHealth! Project MonarchHealth surveys monarch butterflies for infection by the protozoan parasite Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE). The survey is easy to do, participation is free, and you receive free sampling materials and instructions! To sign up and learn more about the project, visit: http://www.monarchparasites.org/ or email monarch@uga.edu.

MLMP Featured in a Book
The MLMP was featured as a project in the new book "How We Know What we Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming" by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch.

MLMP Blog
We've started a BLOG for MLMP! It's located at blog.mlmp.org. Its look will be changing in the near future (in fact, we're working on a redesign for the whole site), but it's working and we're using it. You can sign up to receive automatic email notifications when new blog posts are added.

MLMP In the News

New Items in the Monarch Store, including books, CDs, and informational games for kids!

© 2001-2006 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota. This site complies with the University of Minnesota's Online Privacy Policy. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. This project is supported, in part, by funding from the National Science Foundation. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily of the foundation. Comments or suggestions on this site? Email webmaster@mlmp.org

University of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources
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