Researchers from Environment and Climate Change Canada and partner organizations recently visited Manitoulin Island to tag Monarch butterflies, test them for a debilitating parasite, and study their migration patterns using tiny transmitters and a public tracking app.
KAGAWONG鈥擜 group of enthusiastic researchers and scientists descended upon the property of Lee and Jonathan Bird during the last week of August. The group consisted of scientists from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), formerly Environment Canada, team members from the Canadian Wildlife Federation in Ottawa, Elisabeth Shapiro from Canadian Wildlife Services in Toronto, Laura Bell a student from the , and the Manitoulin Nature Club president, Phyllis Cacciotti, who brought them all to the Bird property.
Greg Mitchell and Anna Diaz from ECCC, along with the CWF team, came to the Island specifically to tag Monarch butterflies. Tagging helps scientists track migration patterns and survival rates, and geographic distribution without harming the butterflies. The team was on the Island for a full week, and Ms. Cacciotti explained how they happened to come to the Birds鈥 property. 鈥淭he Birds have a cottage they rent out and good friends of mine were renting the cottage and they had us for supper,鈥 she said. 鈥淪he had told me about Lee and Jon鈥檚 gardens and then she sent a message over to them and said, 鈥榤y friend is here from the nature club, would you mind if she came over and saw your gardens?鈥 And that was all it took. I just couldn鈥檛 believe it and then I told them about this Monarch Project because I already knew they were coming to the Island. So, it was meant to be,鈥 Ms. Cacciotti said.
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