MONARCHS ACROSS GEORGIA
Events

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Monarchs Across Georgia invites you to become a

A Habitat Hero is someone who is engaged in restoring and protecting native habitat through education, awareness, or direct action.

Habitat Hero is the flagship community science program of the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, created to improve urban and suburban pollinator habitat. Each year they give away over 2,000 native perennial trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses at community events.

In 2025 they welcomed organizations from Delaware and Georgia as they piloted a national expansion of the program. Monarchs Across Georgia was excited to be part of this movement! In 2026, zoos from Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Virginia have made Habitat Hero part of their program.​

Watch for Events in the Spring of 2027

At events, you can choose up to five pollinator-friendly native plants and/ or seed packets, dependent on quantities available.
You will be asked to complete a short online survey with the plant species received, and at a minimum, your zip code to allow us to track our impact on the Habitat Hero Dashboard: A visualization of native plants and pollinator habitats across North America.

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In 2026, native plants and seeds for this program in Georgia were provided through generous donations from Jill's Butterfly Garden, Donna Gast, UGA Cooperative Extension - Clarke County, and Monarchs Milkweed & More, LLC.
Monarchs Across Georgia also received a $600 grant from the Xylem Corporation to fund the Habitat Hero program. $450 was used to purchase plants from the Georgia Native Plant Society.
 Over four hundred seed packets and fourteen hundred plants were distributed at thirteen events across the metro-Atlanta area and Athens.  

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Professional Development & ​Citizen Science Training

Monarchs Across Georgia offers professional development opportunities for non-formal and formal educators, as well as outreach options.

Our educator workshops range from 6-10 hours and are facilitated by experienced environmental educators. The 10-hour workshops are accredited by the Georgia Department of Education with one professional learning unit (PLU). Fees usually range from $100 - $175 per person, depending on the cost of materials and supplies.
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The workshops cover basic monarch biology and ecology, monarch citizen science projects (Journey North, Project Monarch Health, Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, and Monarch Watch tagging), and creating pollinator habitats.

Monarchs and More: An Inquiry and Arthropod-Based Curriculum is the basis for the monarch butterfly studies and schoolyard ecology explorations included in the workshop. Curricula are divided into grade-level lessons for K-2, 3-5, and Middle School, with a strong interdisciplinary approach incorporating concepts and skills in science, math, reading, writing, art, and social studies. Lessons are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

Citizen Science Training is also available and ranges from 3-5 hours. Journey North, Project Monarch Health, Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, and Monarch Watch tagging demonstrations and field work are included. Fees usually range from $35 - $60 per person, dependent on the cost of materials and supplies.  ​

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