Tracking Western Monarch Butterflies
December 9, 2025
Exploring the mysteries of bird migration was a founding scientific endeavor at Point Blue, so it’s a natural evolution to connect our expertise to critical conservation efforts for other migratory species, like the imperiled western monarch butterfly. These small migrants share many of the same questions, challenges, and conservation solutions as migratory birds. The western monarch’s drastic population decline in recent decades has highlighted the importance of the central coast as their last refuge, along with the critical need for connected conservation that includes innovative science and collaborative action. Western monarchs rely on California throughout the year, but in winter, nearly their entire population takes refuge in coastal tree groves to escape freezing temperatures and storms.
Watch this recent ABC7 News story on the nation-wide effort to understand and help monarchs here.
A partnership emerges
In 2023 Point Blue joined a collaborative, multi-partner effort led by the Xerces Society to identify the most important science and conservation needs for western monarchs. Since then, we have been applying our expertise in bird tracking using various devices to support efforts to create new science on movements that connect to the important conservation actions. The recent development of a tiny, ultra light tag has revolutionized our understanding of how eastern monarchs migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico for winter–a recent New York Times article tells the story of this new technology and ongoing work to support monarchs.
What’s happening now?
Today, The Xerces Society, Point Blue Conservation Science and Althouse & Meade are partnering with California State Parks, the City of Goleta, Santa Cruz County Parks, and other local public land managers to use this technology for a foundational study on overwintering western monarchs. Together, we are monitoring monarchs at several sites along the Central Coast to track their movement patterns among coastal tree groves and hopefully on their journey through interior California in late winter and spring.
You can help track monarchs!
This exciting multi-partner collaboration also involves you, community members along the monarch’s migratory path. As part of the tracking study, any community member with a smart phone can download the Project Monarch app. Cape May Point Science Center’s Project Monarch App allows your phone to act as a mini-receiver and track tagged monarchs in real time! The app is available for free in your app store for Android and Apple devices such as cellular phones and tablets. You can also just have some fun by watching the movements of monarchs tagged by researchers across North America.
Learn more
Explore more of the science and background of this exciting project by visiting the Western Monarch Overwintering Science Initiative storymap site here.