Lab News

January 2024 - Micah recently participated in a workshop held at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California to test new tagging and tracking technologies for monitoring monarch butterfly movement. Four overwintering monarchs were fitted with bluetooth-emitting cellular tracking technology (CTT) tags weighing approximately 60 mg. This is part of an effort to test the feasibility of these tags for monitoring monarch movement within and between overwintering locations. Other participants included folks from the Xerces Society, Althouse & Meade, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check out pictures below and stay tuned for preliminary findings!

(Left) CTT tag used for monarch tracking. Each unit is solar-powered and has a detection range of up to ~100 meters. (Center) Affixing a CTT tag to a monarch for a pilot study of movement patterns. (Right) Vandenberg Space Force Base hosts multiple overwintering sites, including this one located at Spring Canyon.