Monarch Tagging at Freedom Park

Come tag monarch butterflies at Freedom Park! On Saturday August 31 at 1:00 PM, Sarah Betzler will lead an educational program all about monarch butterflies, including their biology, life cycle, and conservation. Participants will have the opportunity to catch, tag, and release wild monarchs (depending on the monarchs’ cooperation, of course!), as part of an international citizen science project run by MonarchWatch.org. Tagged monarchs will continue to fly south to their wintering area in Mexico, where scientists will record the tagged butterflies they find and use that data to estimate the monarchs’ population size and learn about their migration routes.

Monarch butterflies are one of the most beloved insects in North America, but they are threatened by habitat loss and pesticide use, and have been in decline for decades. Monarchs, and many other animals and plants, depend on us to make good environmental choices; come learn what you can do to help them survive!

About Sarah Betzler:

Sarah is a freelance environmental educator living in Madison, WI. She has worked as an environmental educator for the University of Minnesota and for Madison Audubon Society, and has a Master’s Degree in Environment and Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. She believes strongly in the importance of environmental literacy in all members of our community, and especially encourages teaching children about their role in protecting, enjoying, and living in the natural world.

Free program. Kids welcome!

Thank you to the Prescott Foundation for their support of this and other free nature-based educational programs at Freedom Park.