Sep 13, 2016 | Alumni, News
Baker wetlands monarch tagging event
On Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:30-11:30 a.m., the Baker Wetlands will partner with Monarch Watch and the Jayhawk Audubon Society to host a monarch butterfly tagging event. Come out and try your hand at catching monarchs, or introduce a child to the fun of catching, tagging, and releasing a butterfly. Tags, nets, and instruction will be provided.
Students in Baker University’s Ecology and Evolution class tagged monarchs last fall and one of their tagged butterflies was recovered in March on its wintering grounds in El Rosario, Michoacan, Mexico. The butterfly migrated through the Baker Wetlands, overwintered in Mexico, and survived through the following spring, when the species began its northward migration back to the United States.
“Each fall our introductory ecology students tag monarchs in one of our labs, where they investigate migratory behavior, navigation, and conservation of a globally vulnerable, but very charismatic, species,” said Dr. Scott Kimball, assistant professor of biology. “The monarchs we catch are all tagged, weighed, and measured by our students before being sent on their way. It is one of their favorite activities.”
The Baker Wetlands is located on the south side of Lawrence in Douglas County in northeastern Kansas, approximately 45 miles west of Kansas City. The Discovery Center is located at 1365 N. 1250 Road, Lawrence, KS 66046.
Check out the event on the Wetland’s Facebook site.