My name is Paige Burke and I am the founder of Monarch Rescue Team. Monarch Rescue Team strives to repopulate all pollenating species starting with the Monarch butterfly. We partner with various entities to produce habitats for pollenating species and are currently responsible for over 15 acres of habitats spread throughout the Quad City area. We hunt for Monarch eggs and caterpillars, rear them, and participate in the International Tag and Release effort to investigate their population and migratory patterns. Monarch Rescue Team, or MRT, also hosts fundraisers, workshops, and sells Monarch net habitat kits, or “adoption kits,” in an effort to raise awareness and teach others how to take part in the miracle as well.
Our group really did start with one caterpillar. One caterpillar found under one leaf in my front yard. I plucked the leaf off and took it inside. At that point, I began researching and discovered what needed to be done next. That summer began the future of family fund. My mother in law and myself released over 500 butterflies our first year and another 1000 our second year.
This beautiful pollinator is now on the endangered list. Monarchs have been declining since the late 1990’s. In 1997, the count out of the Santa Cruz, Pismo Beach area was 1.26 million, but that count has since changed to around 30,000 in 2019… from 1.26 million to 30,000… The butterflies that we see here in the Quad Cities migrate from Mexico all the way to Canada, marking one the longest migrations in the animal kingdom. While in Mexico, Monarchs swarm over a vast expanse generally measured in acres. In 1997, they swarmed over 44 acres of territory, but this number, too, had dropped to around only 4 acres over the last 20 years.
Since 2019, their territory has increased to just over 7 acres thanks to the awareness that has been garnered by fans of the species and other pollinators. Much of the hardship Monarchs and many other pollinators face comes not from their lack of hardiness, but from the loss of or use of pesticides on habitat and pollinating plants, often times a result of agricultural development. Ironically, a recent study conducted by Rutgers provided proof that the loss of these habitats and pollinators has had a dramatically negative affect on food crops due the reliance that over ¾ of these crops have on the pollinating flora and fauna that were eliminated to make room for those crops and keep them safe.
The survival rate in the wild from egg to butterfly is 3-5%. Last year, our team had a success rate of 89%. Also, we were able to successfully tag and release over 500 migrators that made their long trip to Mexico.
With help from the community, we can begin the great effort of saving Monarchs and all pollinators. History has shown is that if we help Mother Nature, we can prevent endangered species. The Bald eagle was added to the endangered list in 1978. After 30 years and tremendous effort, they were removed in 2008.
We can’t change the world, but if we try hard enough, we can make a dent, and enough dents can change anything. Thank you for helping save Monarchs one caterpillar at a time!