upcoming event

MONTHLY DINNER MEETING WITH FEATURE PRESENTATION: "Citizen Science Project: Monitoring Butterfly Populations"

Date: Monday, May 18, 6:30 p.m.

Location: United Methodist Church of Kent, 1435 E. Main St., Kent OH

Cost: $16 per person, cash or check at the door

RSVP by email  BackyardPest@gmail.com

Deadline to reserve is Thursday, May 14

ON THE DINNER MENU Meat option: Apricot chicken, rice and California mixed vegetables. Vegetarian option: entree-sized salad with eggs, chick peas, chopped vegetables on a bed of lettuce. Both come with rolls and butter, dessert and water, iced tea and coffee.

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION  Butterflies are important members of the pollinators family, and at this month's dinner meeting Holly Stoneberg of Portage Park District will present, "Citizen Science Project: Monitoring Butterfly Populations."  

Portage Park District has started its first long-term butterfly transect survey at Trail Lake Park, located right down the street from The Garden Club of Kent on Ravenna Rd. This community science initiative uses Ohio Lepidoptera Society protocol and allows the park district to track butterfly diversity and abundance over time. The survey will be conducted every Friday through October, weather permitting. 

A "butterfly transect" is a walk along a set route divided into separate sections. In each section, butterflies are counted and climatic conditions are recorded. With these data points, comparisons can be made year-on-year and between transects. The survey allows naturalists to learn more about the habitats and ecology of each species and to get information on the conditions of the site so that Portage Park District can implement appropriate management, if necessary.

Holly will also talk about how you can be trained as a volunteer for this project and share other details about happenings in the Portage Park District. She is the education program coordinator for Portage Park District and shares her love of nature through group presentations and guided hikes.