Photo credit — Ventura Land Trust.
VENTURA — Ventura Land Trust (VLT), in partnership with Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas), will host its annual Monarch Madness community restoration event on Saturday, March 19th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at Hayden Teaching Preserve. Monarch Madness celebrates the importance of monarch butterflies and monarch habitat for a healthy ecosystem in and around Ventura.
The free and family-friendly event is made possible in part due to a $5,000 grant provided by SoCalGas. Community and SoCalGas volunteers will plant roughly 100 pollinator plants like native narrowleaf milkweed to establish new habitat for migrating monarchs and other insects, birds, and mammals. Habitat loss is the biggest threat to the survival of monarch butterflies, which need plants like narrowleaf milkweed for food and as a host plant for eggs and larvae.
Monarch Madness guests will have the opportunity to take home plants and seeds from event partners Green Valley Project and Santa Monica Mountains Fund to create home monarch butterfly habitats. VLT education programs Ventura Wild and Once Upon a Watershed will offer creative art and science activities for kids and families.
Executive Director Melissa Baffa emphasized the importance of Monarch Madness in establishing habitat for western monarch butterflies. “Even though the recorded number of monarch butterflies jumped this year to nearly 250,000–up from less than 2,000 in 2021–the species is still incredibly vulnerable. We need to do everything we can to provide food sources and habitat, and to educate the community on why it’s so important to protect these insects. Monarch butterflies are pollinators, and it’s thanks to them that we have many of the flowers and foods that we enjoy.”
“The work Ventura Land Trust is doing to preserve open space, and protect wildlife, land and water in the local Ventura community is tremendously important and we’re proud to support the Monarch Madness event,” said Andy Carrasco, Vice President of Communications, Local Government, and Community Affairs at SoCalGas. “SoCalGas is committed to supporting local organizations that are working to protect and advance our environment”
All Monarch Madness event participants should wear sturdy shoes, long pants, a hat, sunscreen and bring a water bottle. RSVP online for free at www.venturalandtrust.org/monarchmadness.
Hayden Teaching Preserve — Hayden Teaching Preserve is located at 249 Cañada Larga Road Ventura, CA 93001. To reach the preserve, take the Cañada Larga Road exit from the northbound HWY 33, then turn right onto Cañada Larga Road. In approximately 0.1 mile, Hayden Teaching Preserve will be on the left. Parking is available along Cañada Larga Road, with event signs posted to guide guests to parking areas and the preserve.
The Hayden Teaching Preserve is a 2-acre preserve conserved for wildlife habitat and for use as a learning preserve where students and the community can participate in environmental education activities in an outdoor setting.
About Ventura Land Trust — The mission of Ventura Land Trust is to permanently protect the land, water, wildlife and scenic beauty of the Ventura region for current and future generations. Founded in 2003, Ventura Land Trust believes that preserving open space and providing public access enhances the economy, quality of life, and public well-being of Ventura and surrounding communities. The organization currently owns and manages land along the Ventura River and in the Ventura hillsides, including the 2,100-acre Harmon Canyon Preserve. All preserves are open to the public daily from dawn to dusk for free. Ventura Land Trust is an accredited member of the Land Trust Alliance. Learn more and become a member at www.venturalandtrust.org.