Table 3.
Frequency of SAFE Monarch Network organizations participating in the range of potential monarch conservation activities
| Monarch conservation activity | 2019 | 2021 | Change (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes (N = 71) | % | Yes (N = 73) | % | ||
| Grow pollinator gardens on zoo/aquarium property | 64 | 90.14 | 46 | 63.01 | −27.13 |
| Promote citizen/community science for monarch monitoring | 39 | 54.93 | 26 | 35.62 | −19.31 |
| Promote partners working on monarch conservation | 38 | 53.52 | 30 | 41.10 | −12.43 |
| Provide resources to guide audiences to learn more and help conserve monarchs | 38 | 53.52 | 30 | 41.10 | −12.43 |
| Promote sustainable resource use on behalf of monarchs | 22 | 30.99 | 14 | 19.18 | −11.81 |
| Sell or give away milkweed | 33 | 46.48 | 26 | 35.62 | −10.86 |
| Rear monarch caterpillars for releasea | 15 | 21.13 | 12 | 16.44 | −4.69 |
| Support partners working on monarch conservation through philanthropy | 14 | 19.72 | 16 | 21.92 | 2.20 |
| Advocate for monarch conservation legislation/governance practices | 7 | 9.86 | 9 | 12.33 | 2.47 |
| Monitor monarch populations by zoo/aquarium staff | 23 | 32.39 | 26 | 35.62 | 3.22 |
| Teach conservation education programs about monarchs/pollinators | 49 | 69.01 | 60 | 82.19 | 13.18 |
| Plant pollinator gardens in our community | 31 | 43.66 | 46 | 63.01 | 19.35 |
| Engage visitors via onsite interpretation programs about monarchs/pollinators | 43 | 60.56 | 60 | 82.19 | 21.63 |
| Supporting protection and restoration of overwintering sites | New activities selected during Plan development | 16 | 21.92 | NA | |
| Reviewing and documenting current pesticide use on your property/community gardens | 20 | 27.40 | |||
| Developing best practices for pesticide alternatives and implement on your property/community gardens | 30 | 41.10 | |||
| Promoting best practices for pesticide alternatives and reduced use to audiences, visitors, and community | 14 | 19.18 | |||
| Increasing connectivity and enabling climate resilience with more pollinator habitat | 33 | 45.21 | |||
| Modelling how to reduce fossil fuel consumption on behalf of monarchs | 7 | 9.59 | |||
| Participating in monarch disease monitoring (e.g., OE) | 11 | 15.07 | |||
| Increasing partnerships with community, local organizations, schools, agencies, nurseries, agriculture, etc. | 30 | 41.10 | |||
| Mapping the SAFE Monarch habitat in your property and/or community | 11 | 15.07 | |||
| Fundraising and/or gaining sponsorships using monarchs or pollinators | 17 | 23.29 | |||
Note: We added 10 activities after completing the collaborative conservation planning process (SAFE, 2020), so these activities only have frequency data for 2021. Note that activities increased for some activities but decreased for others, resulting in changes to what activities were emphasized, but no overall difference in activity level from 2019 to 2021.
Abbreviation: SAFE, Saving Animals From Extinction.
Rearing monarchs for release is not considered a conservation activity for the SAFE Monarch Program (SAFE, 2020), but we are monitoring this activity to assess opportunities to guide partners toward activities with more potential for positive impact.