Bamberger Ranch Preserve – Monarch Monitoring

The Bamberger Ranch is resuming its monarch butterfly research project and is seeking volunteers to assist in this endeavor.  This project will use the Integrated Monarch Monitoring Program (IMMP) which is one of the partners of the Monarch Joint Venture, a national non-profit organization seeking to conserve monarch butterflies and other pollinators.

For those of you who participated in the on-line training session in May 2024, you may wish to review the IMMP training videos and written materials via the following link -> https://learn.monarchjointventure.org/.  For those of you who were unable to participate last year, you can review these same materials using the same link after creating a free account to access this information.  Viewing the videos entitled Site Selection, Plot Setup, and Site Description will be particularly useful.  Likewise, the same information is included in the IMMP Guidebook.  While prior training is not required to participate in this research project, it is recommended.

The next field survey will occur on April 14^th from 8:30 am to (estimated) 2 pm.  Interested volunteers should plan to meet in the Margaret Bamberger Research & Education Center (MBREC) parking lot at 8:30 am.  Site plots will be prepared in advance so volunteers can start surveying shortly after arrival.  Drew Neyland, Research Coordinator for the ranch, will be responsible for entering the data collected into the IMMP database.  Some recommended tools for the day include: snake boots; walking sticks; binoculars; clip boards; blooming plant field guides; water bottles; and a sack lunch.  If you plan to volunteer, please let me know so I can inform the ranch staff who to expect that day.

Please let me know if there are any questions.  Hope to see you there!