Partner Spotlight: Monarch Joint Venture
The Monarch Joint Venture is a “partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the United States.” They were founded in 2009 with the mission of protecting “monarchs and their migration by collaborating with partners to deliver habitat conservation, education, and science.” They operate throughout the US, working on both the eastern and western monarch populations. CARCD joined the Monarch Joint Venture in 2019 in order to better coordinate our efforts with the rest of the nation.
The Monarch Joint Venture’s guiding document is their Monarch Conservation Implementation Plan, which is updated annually to reflect progress made on existing goals and new objectives. They take an inclusive, “all hands on deck” approach to monarch conservation, recognizing that every organization and individual who can contribute to the protection of the iconic butterfly species is needed in order to aid in monarch recovery.
The Monarch Joint Venture is a clearinghouse for information related to monarch conservation. They host a monthly webinar series and provide access to dozens of resources including educational curricula, planting and management guides, and information about monarchs and milkweed. They also host an annual partnership meeting to allow partners to share information and network.
In response to the catastrophic crash of the western monarch population, the Monarch Joint Venture just hired their first on-the-ground restoration specialist based in California. This position will enable them to expand their ability to support habitat projects on working lands in the Central Valley and Central Coast. They envision working more closely with RCDs to implement and monitor projects. They can provide technical support and training to RCDs participating in monarch conservation efforts.
One of their key objectives is to expand collaborative partnerships to more effectively advance monarch conservation in the US. CARCD is pleased to be able to partner with the Monarch Joint Venture to help RCDs implement science-based monarch conservation projects.
Contact Wynter Vaughan to get involved in Monarch Joint Venture’s work in California.
