JCMGA Annual Picnic Guest Speaker – June 29th

This year, as part of our Annual Picnic, Robert Coffan is our guest speaker.  He is the co-founder of Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates and also the founder and former chair of Western Monarch Advocates.  Robert has a BS in hydrogeology and is a former Adjunct Professor at Southern Oregon University. Robert is also a pretty good grandpa!

Robert has lived in the Rogue Valley for 25 years, passionately enjoying researching the biodiversity of the basin – from springs gushing from headwaters on the flanks of Mt. Mazama, to the hills and rivers where our Western Monarchs stop and rear their young during their fantastic migration. He is fascinated by the beauty and life processes of the Monarch butterfly and 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 and diverse part of the world we call home on planet Earth.

The title of his presentation is “Our Western Monarchs: What Happened and Why Should We Care?”

In 2019, the total known population of Western Monarchs plummeted to a scant 20,500 – a 99.4% loss in the last 20 years – followed by another ten-fold drop to less than 2,000! What happened and why? Can they recover? What can we do to help? The presentation will include an introduction to the iconic monarch butterfly, some of the issues that plague our migrating western population, and sharing what we can do to help restore monarch habitat and support many other pollinators throughout the seasons.

Join us for a seated potluck picnic, followed by his indoor presentation.  Take your photo with “Big Boy”, the world’s largest monarch caterpillar!  Try your hand at the bean bag toss and see how many bees and caterpillars make it into the milkweed patch. The prize?  Only bragging rights!