The monarch butterfly population has been declining in recent years.
A collaborative project aimed at reversing the decline of monarch butterflies is happening at Lincoln College. A team from Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History was in Lincoln recently working with LC’s Conservation Biology program to help milkweed butterflies.
A training session was held for students in the Conservation Biology Major who will be surveying the area to assess and document current pollinator habitat. The students, Kelli Allison, Alex Anderson and Dalton Presswood, all of Lincoln, will also be conducting focus groups and meeting with local stakeholders to identify opportunities to create more habitats for pollinators in general with an emphasis on Monarchs.
Dr. Julia Ossler, Lead Faculty for Lincoln College’s Conservation Biology Program, said the project will be beneficial to both students and the insects.
“This is a great opportunity for our students to work with professionals from one of the nation’s premier institutions, conducting field research and developing practical solutions to a serious environmental concern,” said Ossler.
The Field Museum recently held a brief signing ceremony with Ossler, Lincoln College President David Gerlach and Dr. Abigail Derby Lewis, director of the monarch project for the Field Museum’s Keller Science Action Center. The Science Action Center works to translate museum science into lasting results for conservation and cultural understanding.
The signing ceremony was followed by a workshop and listening session with city planners, business owners, elected officials, engineers and other interested persons from across Logan county to better understand the landscape in Logan County, identify potential sites of existing monarch habitat and offer practical training in ecological data collection.
