Monarch Tagging at Pope Farm Conservancy 2024

Pope Farm Conservancy is a great place to witness the marvel of the monarch butterfly migration. Due to the large congregation of monarchs at the conservancy each fall, it has become a popular area where monarchs are both observed and studied.

Photo credit: Cassius J. Callender Photography

About The Monarch Tagging Project at Pope Farm Conservancy

This is the 8th year that the Friends will be conducting its Monarch Tagging Project at Pope Farm Conservancy. And it’s all part of a nationwide effort to better the dynamics of the monarch’s spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture, and to perhaps give us clues as to why the populations are in decline. We invite you to participate in this citizen science project to help search for, capture, tag, and release migrating monarchs. No experience necessary.

It’s a great experience for the whole family!

How does it work?

Volunteers catch butterflies using a net, then place small stickers (tags) on the butterflies’ wings, with each tag containing a number that identifies the monarch and where it came from.  The butterflies are then released, and will (hopefully) migrate 2000 to 3000 miles to one of about a dozen different locations in Mexico. Recovered tags can be reported on the MonarchWatch.org website. The majority of the recovered tags are obtained in Mexico. More information about monarch tagging can be found at: https://monarchwatch.org/tagging. Madison is at Latitude 43.07.

Tagging Procedure: Capture, tag, record data, release

2024 Registration & Volunteer Info:

2024 Dates/Times

  • Session 1: Tuesday, Sept. 3rd, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Sally Andrews)
  • Session 2: Wednesday, Sept. 4th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Mike Anderson)
  • Session 3: Thursday, Sept. 5th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Beth Rahko)
  • Session 4: Friday, Sept. 6th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Sally Andrews)
  • Session 5: Saturday, Sept 7th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Maxine Austin)
  • Session 6: Wednesday, Sept 11th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Kim Patullo)
  • Session 7: Thursday, Sept 12th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM (Supervisor: Beth Rahko)

Release/Waiver Form (REQUIRED)

All volunteers must complete and sign the waiver form. Volunteers (aged 17 and younger) must have a parent/guardian sign their waiver form, as well.  Please download the Volunteer Release/Waiver Form and bring your signed waiver with you to your monarch tagging session. We will have extra forms on hand. If you signed a waiver last year, you do not need to submit another one this year.

Registration (REQUIRED)

Registration is required! Each session is limited to 6 people since we only have six nets. If you would like to share a net with another individual, you can sign up together in one time slot.

Register Now

What to expect

We will be out on the trails and in the prairies for about 2 hours. No previous experience is necessary. Every session will have a supervisor who will demonstrate to you where and how the tagging will be done. It’s a team effort, and we typically work in pairs.

What to bring

Please bring sunscreen and some water. We will supply the nets for catching the butterflies.

What to wear

Please wear long pants and footwear that covers your feet entirely. You will be walking out into the prairies.

Where to meet

All monarch tagging sessions will take place at Pope Farm Conservancy. Please meet us in the lower parking lot, off Old Sauk Road.

Questions?

Contact Curt Caslava at curt@popefarmconservancy.org for more info.