On April 1st and 2nd, the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium will be participating in ISU’s Forever True Day! This 24-hour event is designed to help raise support for specific projects and funds across ISU’s campus and is a great way to give back to the broader ISU community.
This year, we are raising funds for two specific projects. The first is our Native Plant Network. This is a new collaborative program between the IMCC and graduate students at ISU to grow a selection of native plants, including milkweed, that are ideal for establishing pollinator gardens in urban areas. The goal of this project is to provide free pollinator planting kits at some of our upcoming outreach events this year to increase monarch habitat across the state. By donating to the IMCC on Forever True Day, you will be increasing the number of free native plants we can provide to the community!
Our second project is our innovative monarch radio telemetry research we are kicking off this summer. Using new Bluetooth technology, we will be able to more accurately track individual monarch butterflies as they migrate from Iowa to Mexico this fall. This technology will give us unprecedented insight into the detailed route these butterflies take, helping us better understand their habitat usage during migration and pinpoint key areas for future monarch conservation efforts.
Participants in Forever True Day also have the potential to receive prizes! Donors to the IMCC will have 2 potential prize opportunities. If we raise $500, one donor will win a native pollinator garden design consultation. If we raise $1,000, one additional donor will get to name one of the tagged monarchs during this summer’s radio telemetry project and watch as it completes its incredible journey! We are really excited about offering these prizes and can’t wait to see who the winners will be!
If you are interested in participating in Forever True Day, consider making a donation to the IMCC. Every bit, whether big or small, helps raise money for monarch conservation and research. Forever True Day will run from noon on Wednesday, April 1st to noon on Thursday, April 2nd, so make sure to send in your donation to support monarchs and for a chance to win one of our prizes!