Citizen Science, LRWP, Butterflies, Monarchs, and Moths: Part One

Many naturalists, nature-lovers, and community volunteers participate in Citizen Science projects. Citizen Science is a way to expand research, data collection, and measure changes that is cost effective and efficient. The experimental design and standardized protocols are created by the professions and then the participating citizens are trained on following the guidelines and submitting data. Most nature preserves, land trust, and nature sanctuaries as well as nature agencies participate in Citizen Science projects.
 
I spend a considerable amount of my volunteer time with Little Rivers Wetland Projects. LRWP
participates in projects focused on birds and nests, native plants, turtles, bats, invasive species, small
mammals and butterflies and moths. Each project has it’s own university or agency that develops and
directs the project. These include Purdue University, Georgetown University, and the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology and other institutes.
 
The next four posts will focus on Citizen Science projects focused on butterflies and moths or
Lepidoptera.  The three projects, Butterflies, Monarch Butterflies, and Moths have specific protocol for
observation and recording data. The training courses differ, and the reporting agencies are different.  
The final post is a celebration of all of the volunteer efforts, Monarch Fest. During the last post the
community is presented with the banding, recording, and release of Monarchs as they begin their
migration to Mexico.
 
Butterflies and Moths might be tiny compared to deer, eagle, and beaver but they are important. They
provide food for other animals. They are also pollinators. Broadly speaking, butterflies are day-time
pollinators and moths are night-time pollinators. They are monitored to estimate the health of their
populations and the overall health of the targeted environment.
 
If you are a Butterfly Monitoring volunteer, then walking through the marsh with your binoculars and clip
boards is exciting. However, before you step out onto the trail you need to complete your training. owever, before you get to that point you must be trained. This is a specific gtraining that requires going though a manual, understanding the guidelines, and learning how to record your findings. This differs from the protocols for the Monarch Monitoring. This is a focus on all butterflies.The training is from the Michigan Butterfly Network and Georgetown University. Volunteers may also reverence the North American Butterfly Network. For the 2023 season the trainer was Russ Voorhees. Russ trains for LRWP but is also active in multiple projects and agencies. He is a retired educator and an
important community asset. 

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