JCMGA Annual Picnic 2025 Saturday, June 28th

We are very fortunate to have Robert Coffan as the guest speaker for our Annual Picnic again this year. Last year, he gave a wonderful presentation on the Western monarch butterfly.

Robert Coffan is Co-founder of Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates, and also the founder and former chair of Western Monarch Advocates. He has a BS in hydrogeology and is a former adjunct professor at Southern Oregon University. He is also a pretty good grandpa!  Robert has lived in the Rogue Valley for 25 years. He passionately enjoys researching the biodiversity of the basin.  He is fascinated by the beauty and life processes of the monarch butterfly (as well as other pollinators), and has joined forces with others to help restore their habitat and bring the population back. Robert never loses sight of the importance of preserving and caring for this beautiful, diverse part of the world we call home.

His presentation this year will continue to focus on the importance of the monarch butterflies.  His presentation is titled “Our Western Monarchs: Will they be Listed as “THREATENED,” and Why Should We Care?”

In 2019, the known population of Western monarchs had plummeted to a scant 20,500. This 99.4% loss in the last 20 years was then followed by another severe drop, bringing the total known population to less than 2,000! What happened and why? Will they be listed as “Threatened”? Can they recover? What can we do to help? Robert Coffan’s presentation will include an introduction to the iconic monarch butterfly, issues that plague our migrating Western population, actions we can take to help restore the monarch habitat, and how we can help many other pollinators throughout the seasons too.

Join us for a seated indoor presentation on June 28^th at the Extension, followed by a picnic and festive activities! Take your photo with “Big Boy”, the world’s largest monarch caterpillar, or try your hand at the bean bag toss. How many bees and caterpillars will you help get into the milkweed patch? The winner gets all bragging rights!

 

We hope to see you at the Annual Picnic and we will learn more together about the Western monarch butterfly!