Program Overview
On April 21, 2021, Ohio State’s Environmental Professionals Network teamed up with Monarch Joint Venture and TEDxOhioStateUniversitySalon to host Take Flight! a dynamic, live celebration of local and global efforts to protect and restore the monarch butterfly with Doug Tallamy, Jane Breckinridge, Becky Spach, and Gabe Karns.
Now as we look ahead to the monarch’s North American migration in 2021, we ask that you Continue the Flight! with us. Our hope is to further engage, connect and inspire others to learn more and share resources about the conservation of monarch habitat and ways to get involved!
The monarch is an icon of our planet’s biodiversity. The monarch has a remarkable migration story cycling between Mexico to Canada across the United States. The U.S. Midwest region, including Ohio, serves as a vital corridor in this journey. The Midwest produces and nurtures multiple generations of monarchs each year and serves as the origin of most monarchs that migrate to Mexico. Monarch populations have declined by over 70% in North America, and a global conservation effort is required to restore them.
In late 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded that listing the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act is “warranted but precluded.” While its population in Ohio and globally borders on extinction, there is hope in sight!
Efforts by individuals locally and globally can truly make a difference. Continue the Flight! focuses on solutions and provides tangible resources for all to contribute.
We hope you find this information helpful and that you will share your efforts and resources to Continue the Flight! with us via social media by using the hashtag #ContinueTheFlight. We intend to share these resources on our social media too if you would like to share or follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
Click on the modules below to view recordings and access resources from Take Flight!
StoryMap
This visually engaging Monarch Conservation StoryMap showcases resources to teach Ohioans about the monarch butterfly, its endangerment, and how we can help the butterfly and other pollinator habitats in their yards and communities. Thanks to the ENR 4900 Senior Capstone team (Katie Fackler, Lizzie Wilson, Sarah Von Staden, Tara Allen, Caroline Miller, and Will Babb) for this excellent educational resource!
Resources
Please check out the monarch conservation resources and questions answered by our expert panel (Doug Tallamy, Jane Breckinridge, Jennifer Thieme, Becky Spach, and Gabe Karns) during the April 21, 2021, EPN Virtual Event Take Flight!
Celebrating Pollinators Photo Gallery
Help Continue the Flight and bring awareness to the role of pollinators in our landscapes. Share your photos of pollinators and pollinator habitats you are observing in and around your communities.
Share your photos here.
About Take Flight! our 2021 Earth Day program held on April 21, 2021.
A celebration of local and global efforts to protect and restore the monarch butterfly in partnership with TEDxOhioStateUniversitySalon and Monarch Joint Venture. More than 1,640 participants registered to attend our program and participants joined from across the monarch butterfly’s North American migratory route and from countries across Africa, Europe, and South America.
If you like this content and want to learn more about future EPN events and connect with other environmental professionals then join the EPN today!
Joe Campbell, EPN Director
campbell.844@osu.edu
Cecil Okotah, Program Assistant
okotah.1@osu.edu
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