Posted on: February 24, 2017

From the DuPage Monarch Project

The Glen Ellyn Park District signed a monarch resolution on February 7th, formalizing a longstanding commitment to monarch conservation. The Park District is the seventh municipal entity to endorse DuPage Monarch Project’s goal of expanding and improving habitat for a butterfly that in recent years has experienced an alarming and precipitous decline in population.

Students at Ben Franklin Elementary School kicked off Glen Ellyn’s summer of monarchs in 2015 when they decided to learn more about the challenges facing the butterfly and what could be done to help them. Their interest quickly expanded beyond the classroom into a collaborative, village wide effort between the Village of Glen Ellyn, Park District, Public Library, School District 41, and Willowbrook Wildlife Center. Monarchs were featured on banners, two monarch programs were presented at the library, over 80 volunteers participated in planting two new butterfly gardens, approximately 800 milkweed plants were given away or planted and hundreds of milkweed seed packets were distributed.

“Glen Ellyn is a powerful example of how diverse public bodies can cooperate and work together on an issue like monarch conservation,” said Lonnie Morris, Coordinator for the DuPage Monarch Project. “Each one made a contribution that added up to Glen Ellyn being monarch friendly from their parks and public spaces into residential gardens.”

The 2015 summer of monarch initiatives will be ongoing under the newly signed resolution, which sets monarch protection and habitat as park district priorities. It may take many years for the butterfly to recover, but Glen Ellyn is already preparing the next generation of conservationists by introducing young people to the joys of discovering the natural world.

“Searching for monarch eggs and caterpillars is a favorite activity for kids who come through our nature camp programs,” said Renae Frigo, a naturalist with the Glen Ellyn Park District. “The past few years has proved more challenging to find them, but once the campers know what to look for, they cannot help but check milkweed plants during other activities. Watching a child walk past a plant, flip the leaf to look for monarch activity, warms my heart. They are hopeful in their search, and it reminds me that we should be hopeful for the species, that we are moving in a better direction.”

More information on how your park district or city can become monarch friendly is available at dupagemonarchs.com