Audubon International is the newest partner of the Monarch Joint Venture, the largest collaborative established to arrest the decline of monarch butterflies. With a wide range of programs involving high-quality environmental education, such as the global Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, it is no surprise that Audubon International has made great ecological stewardship gains in communities, neighborhoods and with businesses over the last thirty years.
“Managing properties for pollinators, like monarchs & other butterflies, is a great way to pull together best practices to protect water quality, diversify wildlife habitat, improve aesthetics of golf and more. While you can’t promote everything on the same acre, we certainly can provide for multiple ecological services needed by communities by providing resources critical to monarch conservation,” says Christine Kane, Audubon International’s Executive Director.
The organization’s programs strive to facilitate the sustainable management of land, water, wildlife, and other natural resources. Audubon International achieves this by educating property managers, program administrators and others about best management practices. The Monarchs in the Rough program works to establish monarch habitat on golf courses across the country and beyond. Staff estimates that in the United States alone, there are 100,000 acres of available space to create this habitat. If these areas are improved to have 200 milkweed stems per acre, the program could offer 20 million milkweed stems toward the 1-1.5 billion goal!
“Golf courses and other lands that dot the landscape have incredible potential to not only create additional monarch and pollinator habitat, but draw attention from the public eye to this important conservation issue,” says Wendy Caldwell, MJV Coordinator. “Audubon International is a welcomed partner in our endeavor to increase habitat for monarchs on all landscapes, including golf courses!”
