The Wisconsin Monarch SummitCo-creating a Collaborative Strategy

to Benefit Monarchs & Pollinators in WisconsinMay 10-11, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Meeting Objectives

1. Build a shared understanding of what success is for the collaboration

2. Learn about latest science & existing recovery efforts in Midwest / WI

3. Refine understanding of scientific gaps & habitat challenges faced in the state.

4. Set priority actions and timelines for monarch recovery efforts in WI

5. Lay the foundations for a holistic coordinated statewide plan for supporting monarchs and other pollinators.

Twitter Handle: #WImonarchs

Agenda OverviewDAY 1 (Afternoon session)

● Welcome & Intros

● Getting oriented:

- Monarch status and Science

● Mapping the Territory:

- What is already happening in WI?

→ Social Reception

DAY 2 (Full Day session)

● Morning Reflections

● Envisioning Success

● How will we get from here to there?

(LUNCH)

● Strategy Development Discussions

● Next Steps & Final Reflections

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you…

...We began with small group introductions

Followed by Opening Presentations to learn about Monarch research and biology, regional conservation efforts, and links to the Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Plan

Dr. Karen OberhauserProfessor, Dept. of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology,University of Minnesota

Owen BoyleSpecies Management Section Chief, Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau, WI Dept. of Natural Resources

Mike MurrayPesticide Program Manager, Ag. Resource Mgmt, Agrichemical Mgmt Bureau, Dept. of Ag., Trade and Consumer Protection

Q&A Q: Does Meadow Blazing Star contain a hormone that attracts Monarchs and could it be used?

A (KO): Unsure. More research is needed. However, it is good to be cautious when considering the use of attractants, especially if used in bad areas. Monarchs move over the landscape in broad waves.

Q: Is raising Monarchs bad or good?

A (KO): Very few Monarch conservationists support large-scale rearing. There are too many variables that could cause big problems for the population. On a small scale, raising Monarchs is a good education/outreach tool.

Q: Urban settings - are predators, roads, and toxins along roads big issues?

A (KO): Habitat along roads is a risky habitat, but is important for benefiting the population.

Q: How many stems/acre of milkweed is needed?

A (KO): It will depends on the sector → the number of stems per acre will be different between habitat in urban and agricultural settings.

Q: Given the impact of round-up ready crops to Monarchs, should we consider round-up ready milkweed?

A (KO): Do we want to genetically modify native species? Would farmers start to hate milkweed? Would recommend against this approach.

Q: What are the stems/acre goals for sectors?

A (OB): Still in development - need more details before implementation can occur.

Best. Break Location. Ever!

WI Monarch Activities Survey Highlights

“Which sector(s) does your group primarily work in?”

WI Monarch Activities Survey Highlights

“Does your group own or manage land that is currently

planted in Monarch or pollinator habitat?”

WI Monarch Activities Survey Highlights

“Please indicate whether your group currently conducts or could include any of the following Monarch conservation activities in the next 2 years”

Mapping the Territory: What Monarch-related work is already happening in the state?

To learn more about what work is happening where, and to help people connect the work to the people doing it, every participant group was asked to share their top Monarch-related activities, grouped by sector and written on large post-its. Each person then placed dots corresponding to their activities on the map to show where the work is taking place.

Mapping the Territory... Eventually, we got to a final map and a good heuristic sense of where the work is happening in the state:

Mapping the Territory, local projects detail:

Mapping the Territory, state-level projects detail:

Day 2: visioning & strategy sessions

Small group dialogues were the name of the game on day 2, when participants were asked to roll up their sleeves and talk through goals, challenges, and priorities for developing a successful collaborative strategy for statewide Monarch conservation planning and implementation.

Cover Story Exercise

Imagine yourself in 5 years being interviewed by a reporter for the National Geographic on the epic success we’ve had in WI with our Monarch habitat preservation efforts.

● What are the headlines and key points of the article?

● What successes does it point to?

● What were the key collaborations and milestones that got us there?

Cover Stories: What Does Success Look Like? State ag & cons. Reach ~350K goal.

● 25% WI farms assessed for plantings● Explosion of milkweed on marginal lands!● State incentives have helped● NRCS surpassed goal of 15 proj over last 5 yrs -

3/yr/county● $10mil raised! public/private partnership,

gofundme campaign● Controlled burns accepted as tool● Native seed available statewide● Milkweed part of every pollinator seed mix

All hands: WI exceeds goals through collaboration!● DOT & utilities partner w/ landowners● NGOs & schools help monitor● Habitat database tracker showcases efforts

statewide!● State stakeholders enter CCAA w/ FWS● Habitat REDUCES mgmt costs for ROW● USDA /NRCS engage ag landowners where

there are ROW on properties

“The Butterfly Effect”● Monarch image as a mosaic snapshot of on-ground work● “Interdisciplinary push” - ag, utility, industry, communities.

Collaboration IS success, even if monarch fails to thrive● Ag industry embraces monarchs, changes practices via

market driven approaches● Milwaukee grows urban habitat - rooftop gardens,

underutilized areas used● “Right on, right of ways” - utility/hwy helps!● “WI has been a leader in moving monarch conservation

forward” - WI state political leader

Goals exceeded, WI overrun by monarchs!● ESA averted, huge success!● Other native pollinators/species of concern benefit● 20 hectares of overwintering achieved● All hands - private industry, NGO, gov, citizen scientists● KY bluegrass now rare in Wisconsin!● Native lawns on the rise● Monarch collaborative onto next transformation challenge! ● 700,000+ acres achieved● Nursery industry takes off with native plant sales

What Does Success Look Like? All aboard the monarch train

● Develop pollinator-friendly standard for food products - certification symbol. Big companies support standards

● Mayors’ Monarch pledges statewide● Miles for monarchs - adopt a highway idea● Annual monarch festival, ala Day of Dead in Mexico, more about

monarchs coming back to WI in May● Online dashboard for consumers to see pollinator friendly products● Marketing campaign: Promoters/funders get car(s) on the monarch

train to recognize all who engaged.

WI incentivized marginal land for pollinators, setting pace for monarch & milkweed restoration

● Ag & marginal profitable w/ CRP● Seed mixes more monarch friendly● WI restriction on neonics & roundup for general public use to

enhance understanding of pollinators● Zoning changes to value prairie/grasslands, ROW focus, IL Model● WI tourism destination for monarch & prairie habitat● Increase in acreage burned / year● Lawnmower sales plummet● WI orders all Row to convert to habitat. No sidewalks!

Half million acre comeback● Back to 1995 CRP baseline, add 450K to

existing CRP that exists● Ag steps up to plate - half goal comes from

ag, more CRP + 2018 farm bill reform that streamlines CRP

● Private industry and ag retailers engage to help with precision & identifying right acres

● Open spaces matches ag 1:1○ Conservancies, parks, ROW,

corporate land, changing mowing, seeding…

● Infographic on benefits of not mowing - increasing leisure time, wildflower tourism benefits, etc…

● Secondary benefits: grassland bird #s, carbon sequestration, water quality all increase

● Monarch becomes the WI state butterfly! ● ‘Not how fast you mow, how fast your

milkweed grows!’

What Does Success Look Like? WI key role in monarch recoveryBiological effects

● Increase 2000 milkweed stems/acre - 1 per 20 ft on all land types

● Increase % yard conversions to pollinator garden

Collaborative effects

● Change norms & mindsets re: natural landscaping● Prairie on major state golfcourses● Gov proclamation supports natural Habitat● All mayors are monarch cities, festivals● Monarch state butterfly! ● Outdoor classrooms & school gardens● More partners, farmer-led councils, precision farming

helps marginal land conversion

Secondary effects

● Improved water quality● Decreased erosion● Increased filtration● Aesthetic improvements - blooming flowers 3 out of 4

seasons

Monarchs restored to former gloryPhoto: 1977 nat geo cover with Catalina Grueger, bring her back, same # butterflies

● Ag & cons. communities join forces

● CRP indexed to grain prices, returns to 1995 levels, 25% return to cons. Easements.

● WI leader in organic farms/capita!● Natn’l leader in monarch BMPs● Roadside adopt a highway

program● 50% sub/urban yards have

habitat● Citizens vote for lottery $ to

restore habitat● Solar installations include habitat● Other species benefit● Memories link multigenerational

efforts to restore species

Themes from Cover Story Exercise

● Use of CRP to increase habitat● Changes in traditional ag industry● Converting marginal/rough land● “All hands on deck” - cross-sector collaboration● State butterfly!● Corporate/private sector support● Urban engagement● Right of Way conversion● Valuing prairie - aesthetics, ecosystem service

benefits● Mayors’ pledge● Creative marketing schemes● Exceeding acreage goals. ● Fire as a tool● Seed mixes & native seed available● Shared tracking database

What else is important?● Funding● How much should monarchs & pollinator engage?● Primarily voluntary/incentives/market, not regulatory

○ And...congressional support matters● Mexico acreage as part of target goals● Monitoring database ● Mentoring & training, farmer-to-farmer, county-to-county,

sharing BMPs● Simple how tos for land prep, planting, mgmt….● Understanding trust/communication channels for stakeholders

we want to engage. ○ Need a list of point-person for all the orgs engaged.

● Learning from other states! ● Do we have all the stakeholders we need to succeed?● Invasives control, pesticide use, research● Develop a biz case - CEOs & politician engagement

WI Monarch Collaboration PrioritiesAfter the visioning exercise, these themes were grouped into high level priorities:

HIGH LEVEL (draft) goal:

Increase habitat across sectors by ~350K or beyond (in support of the 6 hectare goal in Mexico)

PRIORITY ACTION AREAS TO GET THERE: 1. Proactive and coordinated statewide coalition for conservation planning and implementation efforts 2. Strong public outreach & education3. Ensuring implementation is fundable 4. Collaborative monitoring, tracking, and research5. Diversified portfolio of voluntary restoration incentives (CRP, market mechanisms, and beyond)

The Path from Here to ThereBREAKOUT GROUPS:

1) Thinking back on yesterday’s mapping the territory exercise, what activities are already in process that can help us move toward our target?

2) Where are there gaps we will need to fill?

3) What challenges do we know we will face? How can we address those pro-actively?

4) What opportunities do we see that we can only capitalize on through working collaboratively?

1) What can we learn from what’s already happening in WI?

Top 3 “what’s happening” themes:

● Good outreach & education already - 4H, Master Gardeners/Naturalists, WAEE, WEEF, teachers, libraries… general public audience, schools.

○ Room for more targeted ag outreach

● Coordination and resource sharing is needed to connect all the on-the-ground activities already happening. Shared governances.

● Funding resources are out there - NFWF, NRF, FWF, some through Ag companies.

○ Pulling these together & making people aware of them will be key!

A key link between what’s happening and known challenges:

● Native seed - WI has a good base, but there are challenges, e.g. Cost of seed, distribution, sometimes we run out or it’s exported before used in state…

2) What gaps do we need to address to succeed?

Key Geographic gaps:

● Lake Michigan shoreline may be a gap

● Northern 3rd of state (though lower priority acc. to FWS monarch conservation units maps)

● Fox Valley area …

Key Programmatic gaps:

● Who’s coordinating the effort!? ● Research, education, outreach on:

○ Information gaps. ○ Most strategic places to put

milkweed habitat● Addressing seed availability & costs

Key Partnership gaps:

● More corporate partners● Golf Courses● Tribes● Cranberry growers● Bee keepers● County parks

3) Challenges

Key themes:

● Shifting mindsets ○ For managing lands - ROW, public lands

■ Training & education will be needed. ○ Urban lawns → pollinator garden, mindset shifts &

education needed● Seed availability, info on how to plant and maintain

○ Available for ag audience○ Variant info for homeowners, urban, golf courses;

consider cost, smaller units of sale. ● CRP program caps, limitations, education about CRP,

zoning impacts, etc. ● Tracking efforts, measuring success/failure on properties

○ Centralized/coordinated data collection■ Who will do this? How? Big question

● Funding● Pesticides:

○ Better understanding of pesticide impacts. ○ BMPs for pesticide use and monarch well-being

4) Collaborative Opportunities● Shared branding, logo, motto, theme to have this group easily identified as

part of the same collaborative effort. ● Targeting outreach to groups you’re approaching - need collective wisdom

to know which groups to target in which ways. ○ E.g. for some emphasis should be human health for most impact. ○ Others may be motivated by conservation message.

● Collaboration needed by all parties to engage ag sector - need NGOs, government, business, consumers to engage effectively

● Monitoring of both habitat and monarchs will require all of us○ Citizen scientists, NGOs, gov, access to public and private lands

■ Shared protocols■ Shared data

● Joint information sharing:○ WI Monarch website with WI specific resources, success stories &

challenges, linking out to other websites/resources○ Statewide marketing & edu materials. Shared / consistent

messaging. ● Seed mixes also more likely to succeed as a collaborative project -

develop for both small scale for gardens and large scale, e.g. CRP lands. Training, too.

● Cohesive training network for producing habitat. Hands on support. ● Marketing at the product level - some sort of local certification / seal,

across food, potted plants, seed mixes, ethanol…. Collaborative /cross sector vetting process.

Strategy Development DialoguesWhat conversation do you want to host or attend on one aspect of what we need to do or get clarity on to achieve our common goals?

● What topics from this morning’s session warrant more conversation today? ● What are the big questions we still need to answer? ● What are the most important actions to move forward, and the workstreams needed to drive them? ● What are some important prioritization and timeline considerations?

Topics developed by participants:1. Milkweed biology & research2. Citizen science3. Shared habitat tracking database4. Seed mix strategy5. Voluntary incentives strategy 6. BMPs for on-farm milkweed & pesticide use7. How to approach collaborative governance

1) Milkweed biology & research

● Big take-away was the importance of coordinating with other states on current research projects, many will apply and wheel does not need to be reinvented locally.

○ Possible regional research task force○ Coordinate with citizen science efforts○ Clarify what if any research topics DO need

to be addressed locally within Wisconsin● Categorized research priorities:

○ habitat (seed mix strategy, placement, competition, density, etc.)

○ Monarchs (competition from other insects, other nectar needs, individual butterfly habitat size needs, pesticide impacts)

● Citizen science cannot help as much with: pesticide impacts, difficult plant identification, large scale plots/projects.

● Local research resources: Karen O, USDA/FSA research sites, DNR, UW

2) Citizen Science● We need to inventory monitoring as well as efficacy

efforts re: putting more habitat on land - may be beyond citizen science, but partly relevant here.

● Leverage existing monitoring and citizen science groups working in the state and through larger efforts

● The new ‘Monarch Conservation Science Partnership’ will include a huge citizen science push, and help with research needs nationally and in Wisconsin.

● Large scale marketing/recruitment of volunteers needed.

○ A statewide coordinator would be ideal for this.

● Training for plant identification can help expand research stream - non-flowering nectar plant ID requires training

○ Crowdsource an imaging ID program?● Combine citizen science monitoring with habitat

planting efforts - leverage volunteers at the site location level.

● Need more citizen science funding sources. ○ NRF fund to support may be one avenue.

3) Shared Habitat Tracking Database

Habitat Tracking Database

● Who to manage? State/DNR? TBD. ● Coordinate with other tracking

efforts that may be duplicative. ● Baseline survey data could be

collected prior to start of database. ● Clarify metrics and frequency of

tracking: ○ Location○ Acreage○ What else? Functional acre

metric like MJV working on?○ How many monitoring visits

required?○ Length of monitoring

needed?○ Balance value vs burden of

tracking ● 1st, do a statewide modeling of

priority conservation areas to help focus efforts

● Consider using tiered metrics?

4) Seed Mix Strategy

● Knowing what good habitat is like is a key 1st step to identifying seed mix

● Want low-maintenance mixes● Cost-controlled.

○ Do we want milkweed in every mix? Unintended consequences?

● Who are decision-makers for this ultimately? ○ USDA, State tech committee, Farm

Bureau, Xerces, Monarch Watch, Beekeeper Assn. etc.

● What % grass should be in mixes? ○ Seeds/square foot to get densities we need

- TBD. ● Limited seed availability● Monarch and pollinator mixes - gather data we

have already. ● Communicate with growers. 2-3 yr cycle before

milkweed grows fully. ● Local genotypes as much as possible, limit

non-natives.

Next steps:● Share & consolidate

nectar seed mix list, add a cost column

● Share with growers● Get buy in from

decision-makers● Get info. from U of MN

research

5) Voluntary Incentive ProgramsVoluntary Incentive Programs

● Think by sector, and think about what people really want - money, labor, tools, etc? ● Ag: Large target. Use grassroots approach, focus group/interview commodity associations, learn from them &

design from there. Use local teams. ● Urban: access is a key issue. Simple ‘how to’ guide will help. Focus on health aspects. ● Rights of Way: Reach utility, rail, road leaders with a business justification (likely in customer relations, in part)● Natural Lands: Share common approaches, techniques, equip., outreach

6) BMPs for on-farm milkweed & pesticide use

Best Management Practices (BMP) discussion: ● Need a more representative group & process

for the final BMP approach, this is a brainstorm

● Vet all ideas on existing science● Develop baseline inventories of species

present on lands. ○ Different BMPs for fence row, pasture,

ditches, CRP vs natural lands, etc. ● Outreach to farmers, ag service providers and

retailers, watershed groups; ○ To communicate BMPs / training

● Spot-spraying a likely BMP for pesticide use○ Look at non-chemical BMPs and IPM

protocols too to align as much as possible

● Consider tiers: minimum practices to most protective of monarchs & pollinators

● Develop a data-sharing website on where Monarchs are at a given time

● Milkweed in all seed mixes may be useful ● Indexing CRP to grain prices?

7) How to approach collaborative governance ● Looking to minimize needless formalities - not calling it a steering committee, e.g., focusing on work groups. ● Roles: info sharing, coordination, ensuring it is representative of all stakeholders. ● Need accountability across sectors, all players bringing resources of some sort to support the effort.● NOT governance to oversee monarch conservation in WI; rather we want to “Wisconsinize the regional strategy”

○ Sector work groups (4 or 5) will each draft their section of statewide plan. ○ Sector leads → coordination team

■ Facilitate plan implementation, count acreage, share information across sector groups. ● Coordination team doesn’t set policy/make decisions for the group. They focus on on-ground action and accounting of

habitat acres.● May be important to have state agency leads in coordination team as well? DNR, DOT, DATCP.

Governance Refinement / Next Steps 7 WORK GROUPSSECTOR GROUPS / IMPLEMENTATION :

● Agriculture● Urban & greenspace (golf etc.)● ROW● Natural Lands

SUPPORT GROUPS:

● Growers & Sellers (seeds, garden centers, nurseries..)

● Ed/Outreach/Marketing● Research/Monitoring

→ DNR role to help ensure consistent & coordinated approach across sector groups & connection to regional strategy

→ Coordination team (work group leads + DNR, DOT, DATCP) supports cross-over/ongoing communication with other groups, as does having each group have a few members also on other groups!

COORDINATION ROLES & TIMELINE● DNR as link to USFWS and other states in Mid-America Monarch

Strategy can play a coordination role to support work groups, info management, etc.

● UW-Madison will host a ‘box’ server and two-way listserv for group information sharing.

● UW-Extension services can help host webinars. ● WI Plan for formal action needed Summer 2018.

○ → One year, to develop a WI implementation plan● Implementation efforts can begin earlier than summer 2018, too!

○ Plan needs a feedback & refinement strategy (adaptive mgmt) ○ Ongoing input into coordination team which would meet

consistently (quarterly or more to start). ○ Owen as DNR staff point person for goals & target updates.

SHORT TERM ACTIONS:● DNR will set up a GovDelivery email list and will disseminate regional

strategy outline, these notes and a post-meeting survey to share with additional interested parties in the next two weeks.

● Sector reps meet to form working groups by mid June 2017○ Include/invite who’s missing! ○ Each group chooses a leader to be on coordinating team○ Commit to taking good notes, and integrating Summit

input into plan development and implementation work!

“to make and end is to make a beginning.” - T.S. Eliot

Before we closed the day, participants were asked to write their personal interest in sector groups or other forms of committing to the work ahead on an index card, as well as the names of those who were not at the event that should be included. This information + post-summit survey results will steer ongoing communications and the establishment of work groups.

Participants then broke into sector work groups to briefly discuss some logistics for setting up a first meeting.

We closed with thanking our sponsors and event organizers, and asked participants to offer a brief reflections on the work we’d done. We heard words like: “Doable”, “Exciting”, and “Tired” - a good sign of a good 2 day’s work!