The city of Goleta and the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (SBMNH) will present Monarch Butterflies – How Can We Help?, 5-7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12 in the museum’s Fleischmann Auditorium, 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara.

Monarch butterflies hang in clusters at Ellwood Preserve.
Monarch butterflies hang in clusters at Ellwood Preserve. Credit: Charis Van der Heide

The event is free to attend but space is limited, so RSVP at www.CityofGoleta.org/butterfly-forum to reserve a place.

Participants will learn about monarch butterflies from the scientists who are working to help them. Brief presentations will be made on the following topics:

• Monarch Butterflies and the Significance of Ellwood Mesa – Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.
• How Science and Technology Can Inform Habitat Improvements – Althouse & Meade, Creekside Science.
• Ellwood Mesa Stewardship – city of Goleta.

Audience members can ask questions following the presentations, then talk with the speakers and others who are working to manage natural resources in the region.

Those attending can a learn about how they can help monarch butterflies and habitat stewardship at Ellwood Mesa. Additional participants include the city’s monarch habitat consultant team, Santa Barbara Audubon Society, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.

The monarch butterfly event is part of Goleta’s renewed commitment to help the community participate in its efforts to improve habitat, access, and overall stewardship at Ellwood Mesa. The city of Goleta said it is positioned to be a leader in western monarch butterfly conservation.

Ellwood Mesa is one of the top habitats for the monarch butterfly, and the city is proposing large-scale habitat enhancement, including replanting thousands of trees and native plants, while also addressing urgent concerns of high fire risk caused by the recent severe drought.

The city is building a dedicated Ellwood Mesa portal on the city’s website to share information as it moves through the permitting process and begins implementing the projects.

Visitors to the site will find project information, FAQs, and updates on the work as it proceeds.

In the coming weeks and months, more details will be added at the new portal at www.CityofGoleta.org/Ellwood.

Funding for the implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan is provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy.

The Coastal Conservancy is a state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast.

Funding for fire prevention activities in and near Ellwood Mesa (Ellwood Mesa Neighborhoods Hazard Fuel Reduction) is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing GHG emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment– particularly in disadvantaged communities.

California Climate Investments projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, and recycling.

For more, visit the California Climate Investments website.