Iowa Monarch Habitat Project
Iowa Monarch Crews travel and camp throughout the state while collecting data related to monarch butterfly habitat.
Corpsmembers develop technical skills throughout their term while completing challenging and impactful conservation projects. Habitat projects may include but are not limited to pollinator counts, milkweed stem counts, and maintaining and organization field data. Project sites vary throughout Iowa, including urban settings and wilderness. Service is performed exclusively outdoors and may involve camping for several days at a time.
After the monarch butterfly migration in early to mid-October, crew member duties will shift. Members will participate in habitat restoration projects in Iowa, completing natural resources conservation projects such as exotic species management, herbicide application, streambank stabilization and erosion control, timber stand improvement, prescribed burning, trail construction & maintenance, tree planting, basic carpentry, wild land fire suppression and emergency response in partnership with public land management agencies.
The Iowa Monarch Habitat project is a newly funded initiative made possible by:
- AmeriCorps
- Iowa DNR – Wildlife Diversity Program
- Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium
- Monarch Joint Venture
- Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
- Volunteer Iowa
- Young Family Foundation
- Generous donors