Conservation Projects
The main butterfly conservation project that our group does is to collect annual data on butterfly species diversity and abundance through our NABA 4th of July Butterfly Counts. Similar in format to Christmas Bird Counts, our butterfly counts help document declines in butterfly populations which need to be addressed by further conservation actions. Three of our counts have been done every year for more than 30 years and our fourth count has happened every year for 23 years. Our butterfly counts take place in June and July and we are looking to train more people to help. For more information, see our Count page.
Our chapter is helping to save the largest native Showy Milkweed patch in Lane County by working with the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) as an Adopt-a-Highway program (more info). Milkweed is the only larval food plant for the monarch butterfly. This milkweed patch is located on Highway 126 between 28th and Mohawk in Springfield. During litter pick-ups, we can monitor the ODOT mowing schedule to ensure that it keeps the invasive plants under control while also allowing the milkweed to grow, bloom, and set seed each year. While we are there, we plan to also look for monarch adults, eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalids at the site. If you are interested in helping out with this project, please fill out this contact form.
Another conservation project our group is involved with is the Leona’s Little Blue project. This butterfly species, located in Klamath County, has the smallest range of any butterfly in the US, so it could easily be wiped out by a change in land use. Sue Anderson is our chapter representative on this project, which is headed by Neil Bjorklund, a founding officer of our chapter. Here is more information on Neil’s website. We will update this page when we have more information on how you can help with this project.
Our club has signed an agreement with the city of Eugene to adopt and steward the milkweed patches growing in Golden Gardens Park on the northern edge of the Bethel neighborhood. As you may know, the park is slated for some development, including sports fields. The area with one of the milkweed patches is located where a new sports field will be built. Our plan is to monitor the growth of the milkweed in the spring, be sure the areas are properly marked, and to communicate with city mowing crews when is the appropriate time to mow. In June, we will be looking for Monarchs and in September we will assess seed dispersal, check for encroaching weeds, and let the city know if fall mowing would be helpful. In later years, we might plant some other native plants near the milkweed. Before the sports fields go in, we could dig up the patch of milkweed which the sports field will cover and replant them to extend the large patch or elsewhere in the park. If you are interested in helping with this project, please fill out this contact form. More info on Golden Gardens can be found here.