<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:trebuchet ms,sans-serif"><span style="color:black;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The 3</span><sup style="color:black;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">rd</sup><span style="color:black;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
Annual International Monarch Monitoring Blitz is coming up in Canada, Mexico
and the United States from 27 July to 4 August 2019.</span><br></div></div><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="color:black;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">For one week, the
Blitz invites people across North America to go out to gardens, parks and green
areas and monitor milkweed plants for monarch eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises
and butterflies. This information will help researchers identify priority areas
for monarch conservation actions.</span><br><span style="color:black;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><b style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">You can help by spreading the
word, hosting a monitoring event, or monitoring yourself during this time!</span></b><br><span style="color:black;font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">To take part in
the Blitz, simply observe milkweed and monarchs, and report your observations.
Record the location and area where you monitored, the number of milkweed plants
observed, and the number and life stage of monarchs counted (even if there are
no monarchs!).</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">In Canada, report
observations to </span><a href="http://www.mission-monarch.org/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Mission
Monarch</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">. If you are east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States
report to </span><a href="https://monarchlab.org/mlmp/updates/join-the-2019-international-monarch-monitoring-blitz" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Monarch
Larva Monitoring Project</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">, and if you are west of the Rocky Mountains report to
</span><a href="http://www.monarchmilkweedmapper.org/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Western Monarch and
Milkweed Mapper</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">. In Mexico, you can report to </span><a href="https://www.naturalista.mx/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Naturalista</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black"> or use the </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.RedMonarca.www&hl=en_US" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Red Monarca app</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">. </span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">You can also
share about and follow the Blitz on social media using the hashtag
#MonarchBlitz.</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">If you host an
event, you can register it on </span><a href="https://scistarter.org/events" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">SciStarter</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">! Just make sure
to select ‘International Monarch Monitoring Blitz’ in the ‘What Type of Event’
section.</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">The Blitz is an
initiative of the Trinational Monarch Conservation Science Partnership, created
through the </span><a href="http://www.cec.org/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Commission for Environmental
Cooperation</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">
(CEC). Through the Blitz, scientists from the </span><a href="http://espacepourlavie.ca/insectarium" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Insectarium/Montréal Space for Life</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">, </span><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change.html" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Environment
and Climate Change Canada</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"> (ECCC), </span><a href="http://www.monarchjointventure.org/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Monarch
Joint Venture</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">, the </span><a href="https://www.fws.gov/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">US
Fish and Wildlife Service</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">, the </span><a href="https://xerces.org/" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Xerces Society for
Invertebrate Conservation</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">, and Mexico's </span><a href="https://www.gob.mx/conanp" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span style="font-size:12pt">Comisión
Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt"> (Conanp) are asking the public to help them
understand monarch and milkweed distribution throughout North America. Data
gathered during the Blitz will be uploaded to the Trinational Monarch Knowledge
Network, where they will be accessible for anyone for consultation and
download.</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><b style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt"><span style="font-size:12pt">FACTS ABOUT THE 2018 MONARCH BLITZ</span></b><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">486
participants across Canada, Mexico, and the United States</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">1,323
records</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">53,588
milkweed plants monitored</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">13,796
monarchs observed</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">6,905
eggs</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">4,900
caterpillars</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">470
chrysalises</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Noto Sans Symbols"">●<span style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:7pt;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""> </span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:black">1,521
butterflies</span><br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> </span><br><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">For more information, contact André-Philippe Drapeau
Picard, </span><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">Blitz
Coordinator, Insectarium/Montréal Space for Life at </span><a href="mailto:xdrapan@ville.montreal.qc.ca" target="_blank" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;color:blue"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size:12pt">xdrapan@ville.montreal.qc.ca</span></a><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:12pt">.</span></div></div>