Got a good set of eyes and a green thumb? Become a community scientist and help F&G monitor monarch butterflies this summer

The monarch butterfly is an iconic species. Their migrations span thousands of miles, taking upwards of three generations of monarchs to complete the journey. Currently, however, their populations are in dire straits due to a wide variety of factors, including drought, pesticides, winter habitat loss, and more. 

But abundant, healthy summer milkweed habitat, of which caterpillars are 100% reliant, is where Idaho can make the largest contribution to restore monarch butterfly populations. 

That’s where you come in.

Idaho Fish and Game needs your help to adopt milkweed patches across the Gem State and monitor milkweed throughout the summer. This will be the second season of the Statewide Milkweed & Monarch Survey and will build on a successful first season in 2025.

Of the 1,000 patches selected to be surveyed as part of this project, over 400 received surveys last year. And that does not include the hundreds of additional patches surveyed that were previously unknown to Fish and Game. Our goal this year is to reach 1,000 patches surveyed, and we need your help.

The survey kicks off July 1 and goes through Aug. 15. Volunteer community scientists will need to check their sites 1-3 times during this timeframe in order to document crucial information, like stem counts, health of the patch itself, and count butterflies. 

Fish and Game manages a very broad range of wildlife, and monarch butterflies are not exempt from these efforts. The information you collect will help our agency in any future assessments of milkweed and monarchs for any ESA listing decision.

Fish and Game will be hosting a virtual training webinar on June 2 from 6-8 p.m. PDT (7-9 p.m. MDT). This is a great opportunity to hear more about the project and to see if volunteering as a community scientist is a good fit for you. Getting signed up is super easy! There is also a slew of online training videos and documents to review at your leisure.

For more information, visit Idaho Fish and Game’s Statewide Milkweed & Monarch Survey webpage, or contact Joel Sauder, Casey McCormack, and Tempe Regan at milkweedcommunityscience@idfg.idaho.gov.