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Monarch Butterfly population
Ohio Pollinator
Habitat Initiative: Creating Habitat in Ohio
Monarch butterfly populations and the habitat they need are in decline
across North America, Mexico and Canada. Ohio has been identified as a
priority state for monarch migration and fourth-generation monarchs.
Fourth-generation monarchs are the individuals who will travel back to
Mexico, spend the winter there, and then start their amazing life cycle
all over again in the spring, ending back up in Ohio the next summer.
In May 2015, the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees
and other Pollinators (The Pollinator Health Task Force) tasked all
states to work through federal, state, public and private actions in
order to restore or create pollinator habitat with the goal of 7
million acres across the United States over the next five years.
The Ohio Pollinator Habitat Initiative (OPHI) is meeting this challenge
head-on, working with multiple partners throughout the state in order
to achieve this goal. OPHI is a statewide network of diverse partners
that work together to provide education, outreach, research, hands on
conservation, native seed collection, and technical assistance to all
that have an interest in pollinators and protecting our food supply.
Our growing list of partners include the Ohio Department of
Transportation, American Electric Power, Pheasants Forever, Ohio
Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, The U.S.
Department of Agriculture, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Partners for Fish and Wildlife, Ohio Soil and Water Conservation
Districts, Ohio Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, The Ohio
State University Extension, The Ohio State University School of
Environment and Natural Resources, Wright State University Biological
Sciences, and the Levin Family Foundation.
We need Your Partnership
It will take all of us working together to achieve our goal of
providing pollinator and monarch butterfly habitat across the state of
Ohio. It will take each of us, doing all we can, where we can. It may
be in your backyard garden, at your school, church or place of
business. The potential is great and opportunities exist almost
everywhere. From big to small, these projects have the potential to
help reverse the decline in monarch and other pollinator populations.
We are looking for partners to help grow OPHI. You or your organization
can help us sustain our efforts through a variety of ways including
social media and online communication, outreach and public education,
technical support and assistance, financial support, hands-on habitat
creation, and more.
We fully believe that through a collective effort we can reach these
goals to provide a healthier future for monarchs and Ohio pollinators.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
E-mail: Marci Lininger (marci_lininger@fws.gov)
Jeff Burris (jeffrey.burris@dnr.state.oh.us)
Lori Stevenson (lori_stevenson@fws.gov)
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