Youth Share Why Monarchs Matter
By Cynthia Zhang
Cynthia Zhang is a youth environmentalist, a co-chair of ReWild’s Social Media Committee, and the founder of Monarchs Matter, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and protecting the vulnerable monarch butterfly population.
A junior at Great Neck South High School, she strives to inspire a new generation of environmental leaders on Long Island and around the world through social media.
It’s a warm August day, and a flash of orange catches your eye in your garden. Scanning your patch of milkweed, you spot a monarch butterfly perched delicately on the pink blossoms. Moments later, it flutters off into the blue sky. That might be the last time you will ever see a monarch butterfly.
Monarchs Matter Founder Cynthia Zhang running the first Raise, Tag, and Release (RTR) Summer Program session.
Annually, scientists survey the oyamel fir forests in Mexico to measure the overwintering monarch population, but the numbers grow more alarming year after year. With the increasing threats of climate change, habitat loss, and pesticide and herbicide use, last year’s monarch butterfly alone has dropped 60% compared to the previous year—suffering its second lowest count on record or a 95% drop in the past 3 decades. But that’s not going to stop youth in Long Island, New York.
This summer, OurEcho Challenge winning team Monarchs Matter hosted the Raise, Tag, and Release (RTR) Summer Program in Port Washington and Manhasset, New York to empower youth to fight the monarch decline through a “learning-while-doing” approach. Over 10 weeks, students learned the importance of biodiversity and native plants, all while raising and tagging more than 80 monarch butterflies, planting 100 native milkweed plants (the exclusive host plant of monarch butterflies), and collecting over 1400 citizen science data (for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project and the Monarch Watch Tagging Program).
Geeta tagging and releasing the first monarch butterfly she raised.
Witnessing first-hand the full metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly, Monarchs Matter Founder Cynthia Zhang hopes that sharing the fascinating experience with summer program students will engage our future generation with environmental conservation. Thus, to assess the program’s effectiveness, students were asked to fill out a survey, including a reflection on their experience. With the help of 8 judges (EarthEcho International Associate Director of Programs Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski, New York State Senate District 7 Candidate and Baxter’s Pond Foundation Co-President Kim Keiserman, ReWild Long Island Founder and Board President Raju Rajan, ReWild Board Member Kathy Coley, ReWild Board Member Gloria Frazee, ReWild Volunteer Francesca Zahner, Science Museum of Long Island Board Member Peggy Maslow, Bow Seat Youth Engagement Director Jeremy Pivor), Monarchs Matter selected the top 4 student reflections, and the winners were awarded during October’s Commendation Ceremony. Their testimonials revealed that it wasn’t just the monarch butterflies that metamorphosed but RTR students as well:
Janna Arafa, sophomore at Al-Mamoor School: “My baby brother was fascinated when he saw the caterpillars eating and moving around, and he decided to name them Dancy and Chunky. Dancy earned its name by dancing in its container, while Chunky was named for being bigger and chunkier. [...] This experience made me realize the fragility and preciousness of life. Dancy was the only survivor and formed a beautiful chrysalis. While Chunky was fighting to survive halfway into her chrysalis, she did become a half butterfly, showing the real beauty of life. [...] It made me realize that patience and care can turn anything into something magnificent.”
Geeta Dey, sophomore at Herricks High School: “A caterpillar's transformation is not unknown, yet at first glance, the entire feat seemed unimaginable. How could some insect sludge turn into ethereal wings of black, white, and orange? [...] Little by little, I am shifting my perspective of nature. There is more to be captivated than by the beauty that surrounds us. As I watched my butterfly flutter away, I realized that a seed of beauty requires patience and time to blossom.”
Isabella Kugal, senior at Wantagh High School: “Every morning my brother would run into my room to check on the caterpillars and ask me when they would turn into butterflies. [...] The patience that was required to watch the caterpillars grow into butterflies allowed me to learn that as we continue to try and create methods to combat climate change, we must be patient in our efforts but continue to have the motivation to see that there can be a solution to environmental problems.”
Max Zimmerman, homeschooled sophomore: “My experience with Monarchs Matter was a positive and rewarding one. The process of watching my caterpillars metamorphose into butterflies gave me a sense of accomplishment. One of the reasons I liked this program so much was due to its hands-on approach. [...] I never knew that you could tag a butterfly! [...] After this experience, I plan to keep raising monarchs every year and spreading the word of their importance.”
Meet our 8 adult advisory board judges at https://monarchsmatter.net/about-us#advisory-board.
Stay tuned for the full winning reflections, as well as runner-ups, coming soon on the Monarch Moments Blog!