An evening learning about and tagging Monarch butterflies!

PVAS Host: Laurel Schwartz, Valerie Chaney

Free and open to the public. All ages are welcome, though youth must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required and limited to 12 participants.

PVMN Continuing Education Credit Eligible

The Monarch Watch Tagging Program is a large-scale community science project that was initiated in 1992 to help understand the dynamics of the monarch’s spectacular fall migration through mark and recapture. The Monarch butterfly’s migration to Mexico began in early August, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. The migration peaks in our area in mid September, so this is a perfect time for Monarch tagging! Learn about the monarch life cycle and how to conduct this community science with PVAS Naturalist Laurel Schwartz!

• Walking Distance: Approximately 1 mile
• Pace: Moderate (steady but able to maintain a conversation)
• Exposure: Partial shade. Some areas of full sun.
• Terrain: Hard ground/hiking trail – though depending on conditions some areas of the trail may be wet/soggy. Gentle slopes/rolling hills
• Restroom: Yes, at the start of the program
• Parking/Where to Meet: Participants should meet at the back deck (just down from the parking lot) of the Nature Center.
• What to Bring: Dress for the weather and wear shoes that you don’t mind getting a bit muddy. Depending on ground moisture conditions, this program may access a pond trail that is usually closed to the public. Bug spray is also recommended. Please wear comfortable walking shoes, bring along insect repellent and drinking water. Tagging nets will be provided.

Register Here!

About Laurel:

Laurel Schwartz is our Watershed Program Coordinator and has been working in this role with PVAS since September 2021. She serves as Site Director at Yankauer for Summer Camp.

Laurel is a lifelong Jefferson County resident and Shepherd University graduate.  She graduated from Shepherd University with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies and a concentration in Sustainable Resource Management. During the summers between the school year, she worked as a seasonal Park Ranger for both the National Park Service, at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, and the Army Corps of Engineers, at Loyalhanna Lake Recreation Area. After graduation, Laurel served an AmeriCorps year (2019-2020) with us as an Environmental Educator.  Through this role, she fell in love with youth education and nature interpretation. After her AmeriCorps year, Laurel worked for Virginia Tech as a Soil Science Research Associate and a Jefferson County Substitute Teacher.

In her free time, Laurel can be found hiking, spending time with her dogs, relaxing in a hammock, or in the kitchen trying out new recipes.

About Val:

Valerie Chaney is currently the Park Naturalist/Park Activities Coordinator at Cacapon Resort State Park in Berkley Springs, WV. She is a West Virginia native of Fort Ashby, located in Mineral County. She has been with West Virginia State Parks since 2018, managing the park’s nature center and developing activities, youth programs, guided hikes, and interpretive programs for all ages. As a park naturalist, she covers a wide range of environmental topics, but monarch butterfly conservation has taken the lead. The original mowed lawn surrounding the nature center has transformed over the years into a beautiful oasis of native plants for all pollinators and as an official monarch waystation by Monarch Watch. Working with volunteer groups, monarch conservation groups, and local community groups has made this all possible. She has received grants to design and purchase plants for the monarch way station and interpretive signs. (Blue Ridge Wild Ones, The Monarch Alliance, Eastern West Virgina Community Foundation) The monarch waystation has become an outdoor classroom for all to see varieties of milkweed, monarchs in all life stages, helping our visitors discover how they can make a difference. This year was our most successful year yet of raising monarchs and tagging them on site with visitors and with local Morgan County Schools.