Over the last few years, a North Jersey Girl Scout has turned a pandemic project into a statewide effort to promote awareness for monarch butterflies as well as protect and improve wildlife habitats in her town and around the state.

The monarch butterfly, according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, is the most iconic butterfly in North America. Monarchs hold scientific and environmental value as well as economic and cultural value in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Tourists once flocked to Cape May to see the monarchs fly through New Jersey on their annual fall migration to Mexico. However, over several decades, the monarch population has steeply declined.

Monarch butterflies are currently listed by the NJDEP as a species of interest.

During the pandemic in 2020, Elizabeth Gillen, 17, of Mountain Lakes joined a competition with her friends to improve something within the community. Although it was challenging as much of life was still virtual, they decided to turn to social media and connect with butterfly enthusiasts around the state.

The group created a Facebook page called Morris Monarchs and shared a survey in online gardening groups, offering free milkweed seeds to anyone who wanted to plant them before the winter of 2021.

Milkweed is vital to monarch butterflies as it is the only plant upon which monarch caterpillars can live and feed, according to the NJDEP.

Over 1,000 people responded, and Gillen and her friends began sending out seeds and tracking the seeds’ location on a map. This effort won them first place in New Jersey in the competition.

As June 2023 approached, it was time for Gillen to start working on her gold award, the most prestigious award that a Girl Scout can receive.

“My gold award was a natural continuation of the seed giveaway,” said Gillen, who is a senior at the Morris County School of Technology. “I wanted to continue to raise awareness for monarch butterflies.”

In obtaining her gold award, Gillen worked with Mountain Lakes local leadership to connect the borough with the National Wildlife Federation’s Mayors’ Monarch Pledge. According to the National Wildlife Federation’s website, by taking the pledge you are “committing to both restore habitat in your community and encourage your residents to do the same.”

Mountain Lakes Mayor Khizar Sheikh signed the pledge in 2023.

Gillen also connected the borough to the National Wildlife Federation’s Community Wildlife Habitats program, which partners with “communities of all kinds to become healthier, sustainable, and more wildlife friendly.” Gillen is the community manager for the Mountain Lakes Certified Wildlife Community.

“I am fortunate that Mountain Lakes is a borough that has a strong history of protecting wildlife and maintaining the natural beauty of the area,” said Gillen. “Everyone I approached in the borough supported my proposal.”

October is Monarch Butterflies Month in New Jersey

Another goal that Gillen set out to accomplish while obtaining her gold award was to dedicate a month to monarch butterflies in New Jersey.

“I researched existing town and county proclamations for monarchs across … I could not find any state dedicating a month to monarchs and wanted New Jersey to be the first,” said Gillen.

At the beginning of the year, Gillen wrote a detailed letter to Gov. Phil Murphy, sharing what she had accomplished with her friends during the pandemic and the work she has been doing since then in Mountain Lakes.

She described how a proclamation would complement the many existing conservation efforts in the state by New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, the New Jersey Audubon, and many other organizations dedicated to preserving land for the benefit of native plants and insects like the monarch.

Gillen submitted her request to the state in early 2024 and it was signed by Murphy on Sept. 13, proclaiming October of 2024 as Monarch Butterflies Month in New Jersey.

“I hope New Jersey’s proclamation inspires monarch lovers in other states to request similar proclamations. Proclamations show symbolic support for monarchs and raises awareness of their importance,” said Gillen, who hopes that her project will help create more appreciation for monarchs and other pollinators and will encourage people to experience monarchs first-hand.

Gillen was awarded her gold award in August.

Going forward, Gillen plans to continue managing her Facebook pages, Morris Monarchs and Mountain Lakes Wildlife, and connecting with butterfly enthusiasts.

She will be giving away milkweed seeds to plant through the end of October. If you are interested, you can contact girlscoutgold7707@gmail.com.

Monarch butterfly population in decline

Monarch butterflies have a large habitat range, according to the NJDEP, spanning across the entire North American continent.

In the Garden State, they are among the group of native pollinators that assist in the reproduction of crops, playing a crucial role in the success of New Jersey’s agriculture and economy.

Every fall, migratory monarch butterflies fly through the state on their trek to Mexico for the winter, stopping in Cape May to rest before continuing their journey across the Delaware Bay.

“Cape May, New Jersey is a crucial stopover for monarch butterflies during their migration. Cape May is perfectly situated along the monarchs’ migration path,” said Suzanne Tilton, also known as the Butterfly Lady. “The peninsula acts like a natural funnel at the southern tip of New Jersey, drawing thousands of butterflies as they travel from Canada to Mexico.”

Cape May is home to the New Jersey Audubon’s Monarch Monitoring Project, which has been tracking and studying monarchs for over three decades, helping scientists understand their migration patterns and the challenges that they face.

Unfortunately, monarchs currently face many challenges including habitat loss, extreme weather, predators, toxic pesticides and climate change, which have all taken a toll on fragile populations, according to the New Jersey Audubon.

“The destruction of milkweed plants, which are essential for monarch caterpillars, is a significant threat. Urban development and agricultural practices, especially the use of herbicides, have reduced the availability of milkweed which is the only plant monarchs use to lay their eggs,” said Tilton. “Changes in climate affect the migratory patterns and breeding grounds of monarchs.”

She continued, “Extreme weather events and shifting temperatures can disrupt their life cycle and migration routes. Perfect example is Hurricane Helene wreaking damage along important migrating routes monarchs use along the Appalachian Mountains.”

Tilton also pointed out the fact that pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids can be harmful to monarchs, killing them or reducing the availability of nectar plants and milkweed.

Finally, Tilton said that deforestation in their wintering grounds in Central Mexico reduces the areas that monarchs cluster for warmth and protection.

According to the NJDEP, the monarch population is estimated to have declined some 90% between 1990 and 2014, dropping from approximately one billion butterflies to 35 million butterflies.

“The monarch is an umbrella species, it tells us how other pollinators are struggling,” said Tilton. “The monarch butterfly is a great indicator, and we need to start paying attention. If the monarch butterfly is struggling, other pollinators and insects are struggling too.”

According to Tilton, the most important thing that people can do to help is to create a habitat in their yards for monarchs by planting milkweed for the caterpillars and flowers for the adults to feed on. It is also extremely important to stop using pesticides in our gardens.

“People need to realize the importance of protecting and creating habitat for monarchs,” said Tilton. “Projects like Lizzie’s help bring awareness to the public.”

The game between the Northeast Generals and the visiting New Jersey Titans finished 4-3.

New Jersey’s victory puts an end to a six-game losing streak.

The Generals opened strong, at the beginning of the game with

Benjamin Campeau

scoring in the first period, goal assisted by

Masen Culley

and

Jake Boulanger

.

The Titans’

Jack Hillier

tied the game 1-1 late in the first period, assisted by

Ryan Shaw

and

Kyle Kim

.

Logan Renkowski took the lead with a goal in the third period, assisted by Jack Hillier and Owen Leahy.

Kai Dunits

tied it up 2-2 with a goal three minutes later, assisted by

Jack DeMoura

.

James Schneid

also took the lead with a goal two minutes later, assisted by Jack Hillier and

Blake Jones

.

Shawn Leary

then increased the lead to 4-2 with a goal three minutes later.

The Generals narrowed the gap to 4-3 with 01.07 remaining of the third period after a goal from

Joseph Mcgraw

, assisted by Benjamin Campeau.

Coming up:

The Generals travel to Danbury on Friday at 6 p.m. CST at Danbury Ice Arena. The Titans host Danbury to play the Hat Tricks on Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST at Danbury Ice Arena.

Read more NAHL coverage

Automated articles produced by United Robots on behalf of The Rink Live.

Devils outshoot, outscore the Sabres in second consecutive defeat.

Score: Sabres 1, Devils 3

Shots: BUF: 18, NJD: 37

Buffalo Sabres Goals: Tage Thompson (1)

New Jersey Devils Goals: Seamus Casey (1) PPG, Paul Cotter (2), Timo Meier (1)

Minus 1: Biased Officiating Strikes Again

Almost seven minutes into the opening period, Devils forward Brenden Dillon hit JJ Peterka in the face, forcing him out of the game. Alex Tuch quickly responded by dropping the gloves with Dillon. The refs gave both players five minutes for fighting, while Dillon sat in the box for just two extra minutes with a minor penalty. Rob Ray called the slap on the wrist penalty a “joke”.

Once again, on-ice officials practiced a double standard when it came to hits. If the situation were reversed, does anybody believe the zebras would give a Buffalo player a two-minute minor for a dirty hit like Dillon’s? Sabres’ fans know the answer and they’re beyond sick of the NHL’s biased officiating.

Plus 1: TNT Puts Buffalo on the Board First

After a 0-0 first period, with the Devils outshooting the Sabres and getting multiple scoring opportunities, Tage Thompson finally broke the impasse midway through the second, poking the puck past New Jersey goalie Jake Allen. Thompson’s poker gave Buffalo some life, forcing the Devils to respond.

No. 72 suffered a production decline last season, so watching him get an early goal is a hopeful sign of more to come. It’s also nice to see TNT get creative with his puck-handling skills, instead of always shooting 20 feet from the net.

Minus 2: Poor Play on Offense, Defense Dooms Sabres’ Comeback

Sabres’ fans had high hopes for 2024-25, thinking maybe, just maybe the Blue and Gold would start this hockey year strong. They were disappointed, watching Buffalo blow the season opener, 4-1 in Prague and then losing the rematch 3-1. New Jersey dominated throughout, outshooting the visitors in all three periods.

The score was tied until the third, when Paul Cotter beat Devon Levi with a wrist shot 7:18 into the final 20 with an assist with Jack Hughes. With 5:48 to go, Timo Meier wrapped the puck around while Levi was on the opposite side of the net, getting a wide open goal to make it 3-1 Devils and putting the game out of reach.

Mad28dog had the Comment of the Game: “That was ugly…and inevitable”. The Devils controlled the game throughout, getting multiple shots on goal and forcing the Sabres to play most of the matchup in their own zone. The Blue and Gold struggled to clear the puck and spent the majority of their time trying to block shots instead of getting pucks to New Jersey’s net. Watching the game, viewers knew sooner or later the Devils would open up the scoring, which they did in the third, while the Sabres failed to answer.

Plus 2: Levi Gets an E for Effort

Buffalo backup goalie Devon Levi was one of the Sabres’ few bright spots in this contest, blocking 34 of 37 shots and being tested repeatedly during 60 minutes. No. 27 carried the team on his back most of the day, doing his best to keep the game from getting out of hand. Unfortunately, Buffalo’s D hung him out to dry and his netminding wall finally crumbled midway through the final period. If the Sabres shore up their defense and limit the number of shots on net, Levi can be a reliable goalie, giving the team breathing room in breakaways and helping take away opponents’ scoring chances.

Final Thoughts

This definitely wasn’t the season start the Sabres or their fans wanted, flying home after back-to-back losses in Prague. It’s even more humiliating for head coach Lindy Ruff, who watched the team he previously coached beat his Sabres and made New Jersey’s managers look smart for canning him. Ruff and the roster have to lick their wounds and get back to work, because it’s a long season and will be even longer if they can’t find an answer.

The Buffalo Sabres host the L.A. Kings on Thursday night in their first home ice opener. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. at KeyBank Center.