***UPDATE***
Due to the incredible public interest, the volunteer positions for all of the sites are full.
If you're interested in being added to the wait list for the Springerville Wildlife Areas, or the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, contact us at
questions@azgfd.gov. The wait list is full for all of the other sites.
If you're interested in being added to a distribution list in case of future events that are similar, please submit your contact information on the form below.
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The Arizona Game and Fish Department is looking for volunteers to help plant milkweed, which is a critical food source for Monarch caterpillars, at a number of our Wildlife Areas throughout the state. These “Monarch Waystations” will include native milkweed plants, and other flowering plants as a nectar source for adult monarchs.
Planting will be timed in order to take advantage of monsoon and winter rainfall, so the schedule of events throughout the state is currently tentative, and will be finalized as the monsoon progresses. The following tentative locations and dates include:
***(FULL)*** Sipe, Wenima, and Becker Lake Wildlife Areas, Springerville, AZ- October 19, 2019 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area, McNeal, AZ- November 2, 2019 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Colorado River Nature Center, Bullhead City, AZ- October 26, 2019 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Page Springs Fish Hatchery, Cornville, AZ- September 30, 2019 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, Buckeye, AZ- December 7, 2019 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Horseshoe Ranch, Black Canyon City, AZ- January 18, 2020 ***(FULL)***
***(FULL)*** Cluff Ranch Wildlife Area, Safford, AZ- February 8, 2020 ***(FULL)***
Activities at each location will begin between 8am and 10am, depending on the location, and are expected to last 3-4 hours. This will include a mandatory training where participants will learn information about Monarch butterflies, and be given a demonstration of how to plant the milkweed plugs.
Volunteers should plan to bring lunch, and should dress appropriately for the outdoors, including hiking boots or tennis shoes with good tread, a hat, sunscreen, long sleeved shirt, etc. Snacks and water will be provided; bringing a refillable water bottle is encouraged, but bottled water will be available as well.
Volunteers must be able to bend or sit for extended periods of time while planting milkweed in the ground, and must be able to navigate rough or uneven terrain, as most of the milkweed will be planted in natural areas that may require a short hike through natural land.
Due to the limited number of milkweed to be planted at each location, the number of maximum volunteers needed at each location varies between 10 and 25 people, and is on a first-come first-served sign up basis using the form below. An email will be sent to you confirming that you’ve signed up. If the maximum number of volunteers for a particular location has already been reached, you will be notified and placed on a wait-list, in case of cancellations.
Confirmation of the date, exact start time, directions, and other details will be emailed to participants prior to milkweed planting events at each location.
