Preserves With a Purpose: INTRODUCING OUR POLLINATOR PROTECTOR PROGRAM

By Connor Dennis, Land and Water Protection Specialist

In July of 2022, the migratory monarch butterfly was placed on the Endangered Species List after seeing an 80% decline in population over the last 30 years. The main causes for this dramatic drop are the loss of oyamel fir trees in Central Mexico by urban expansion and illegal harvesting, paired with huge losses of milkweed due to farming and herbicide use here in the United States. Monarchs are a staple of every Northern Michigan summer, and the thought of their extinction has inspired us to do our part to help prevent this magical species from becoming a mere memory.

We have designated areas on a few of our preserve properties for dedicated pollinator gardens and butterfly habitats. These newly coined “Preserves with a Purpose” will highlight the impact small changes can make on a global scale.

To get this new “Pollinator Protector Program” off the ground, we enlisted some experts to help us with the project. Local pollinator garden specialists Lauri Juday and Skylar MacNaughton have jumped on board with their passion for monarchs and knowledge of native plants. They are just the right people to lead this program and create something truly special for generations to come. We would like to take a moment to let them introduce themselves:

Meet Skylar

Hello, my name is Skylar MacNaughton, president and founder of the nonprofit Michigan Butterfly Habitats Inc. I am a local family man with a passion for conservation and saving the monarch butterflies. My family and I started raising and protecting monarchs about six years ago as a fun project with our daughter, Bella. Five years later in 2022, I started a nonprofit in order to create butterfly habitats in the state of Michigan, beginning in Boyne City parks like Avalanche Preserve, Sunset Park and the Riverside Park then expanding into Charlevoix and Antrim County preserves.

Meet Lauri

My name is Lauri Juday, I live in Springbrook Hills, and I have lived here most of my life. I am so honored to be part of the Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy Pollinator Program. I create pollinator gardens; raise awareness about Monarch butterflies with children's workshops, speeches, walking field trips to hunt for caterpillars; and do tours of my home where I raise and release Monarch butterflies each year. I incubate eggs and rear the caterpillars until they reach the butterfly stage. I am a migratory reporter for Journey North and raise awareness with monarchwatch.org. I am excited to finish the work I started on the Voran Family Preserve last year and to start pollinator gardens on new preserves. I look forward to working with Skylar MacNaughton and other Monarch Butterfly enthusiasts from Boyne