Watch Video to Learn More  

For the first time on the Central Coast, cutting-edge monarch butterfly research is taking place right here in Goleta. Scientists from Althouse & Meade, in coordination with the City of Goleta, with funding from the USFWS and support from Ellwood Friends, are deploying ultra-light tracking tags on monarchs, offering an unprecedented look at how these iconic butterflies move, migrate, and survive. Watch this short video to learn more and see for yourself how exciting this research is!

The tags weigh about as much as a grain of rice and transmit data via Bluetooth through the Project Monarch app and the Motus network. This allows tagged butterflies to be detected as they travel through the landscape, providing detailed insights into migration patterns. Once the monarchs are tagged and active, the public can follow them on the Project Monarch app created by Cape May Point Science Center and Cellular Tracking Technologies.

Ellwood Mesa has long been a critical overwintering site for monarchs. With fewer butterflies arriving this season, scientists are expanding the study north and south along the Central Coast to collect more comprehensive data on overwintering movement and spring dispersal. The work is fully permitted and science-based, contributing directly to long-term habitat protection and species recovery.

Monarchs naturally experience variable survival during the overwintering season, and some butterflies will not survive the overwintering season. Every tagged butterfly, however, provides meaningful data to help scientists better understand and protect the species. Tags were recently deployed and activated, with the possibility for more tagging in January/February as monarchs disperse the overwintering sites. 

This project represents a rare and inspiring moment in conservation science, bringing cutting-edge research to Goleta and giving the public a chance to connect with monarchs in a meaningful way.

Learn more about monarch radio-tagging technology through a Monarch Joint Venture webinar and a recent New York Times article:

• Webinar: The Science of Radio Tagging Monarchs
• NYT Article: Tracking Monarch Migration

Photo above: A monarch butterfly wearing a tiny ‘backpack’ radio transmitter, photo by Charis van der Heide, Althouse and Meade