D3295: The western monarch mystery challenge: A community-science initiative

Monarch butterflies are declining throughout their range. In the Western United States, these declines have been particularly severe. The Western Monarch Mystery Challenge is a community-science project that aims to understand monarch dispersal from the overwintering sites in the early spring, a critical period in the annual multi-generation breeding season. However, spring is also a poorly documented part of the western monarch’s life history. Participants in the Challenge were asked to submit photographs, including date and locality, of any monarchs observed from Valentine's Day to Earth Day. A primary goal of this project was to engage a diverse pool of participants, particularly in areas where monarchs are historically underreported. We used a combination of regionally targeted social media advertisements, engagement with local and national media, and weekly prize drawings to raise awareness and incentivize submissions. In addition, we developed free educational materials in both English and Spanish for children and families, as well as informative infographics and videos on social media sites. From 2020-2022, over 2000 monarch observations from community members were reported via email, iNaturalist or the Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper, a program of Xerces Society, USFWS and others. Our audience represented diverse racial, gender, and socioeconomic demographics, predominantly from urban and suburban regions of California. This project reveals methods for promoting broad participant engagement in community-science research. These efforts will improve the capacity to collect quality large-scale data on declining species while providing valuable education on conservation issues to the general public.