Help save monarch butterflies; volunteers needed to report sightings in Georgia
Courtesy of Georgia Department of Natural Resources
ATLANTA - Do you like monarch butterflies? Would you like to help save them from possible extinction?
Monarchs Overwintering in Southeastern States, a partnership between universities, agencies and other organizations, is seeking citizen scientists to help them track monarch butterflies in their area.
The information that is gathered will assist scientists in determining if the iconic butterfly "con overwinter as non-breeding adults in the southern U.S. and how this might affect future population numbers."
Over past winters, volunteers from across the Southeast and Gulf states provided more than 6,700 observations of monarch butterflies.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the migrating populations of monarch butterflies are currently less than half the size they need to be to avoid extinction.
The public is encouraged to report monarch sightings from Nov. 1 to March 1 in Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
How to participate:
Step 1: Create a free account at journeynorth.org
Step 2: Use the site to learn how to report monarch sightings
Step 3: From Nov. 1-March 1, submit your monarch observations!