The Illinois Butterfly Monitoring Network (IBMN) is a citizen scientist program monitoring the health of butterfly populations throughout northeastern and central Illinois, with several monitoring sites in northwest Indiana.

The Network serves to engage citizen scientists in the process of collecting quantitative data on butterfly populations. The goal is to provide data collected with a standardized protocol that allows land managers to evaluate long-term trends in a changing landscape and to document the presence of rare, threatened and endangered species. The Network also provides opportunities for fellowship, information sharing, mentorship, and continuing education between citizen scientists and professional biologists through various field trips and workshops.

More information is available at www.bfly.org.

Host Kathy Sipple speaks with Presented by John Henry Drake, regional coordinator for northwest Indiana about this program and the upcoming workshops the group is hosting for potential monitors.Saturday February 9th

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve, Hammond

930 AM-12 PM.Saturday February 16th

Crown Point Community Library, Crown Point

10 AM-12 PM.Saturday February 23rd

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center, Porter, IN

930 AM-12 PM.The workshops are designed for potential and beginning monitors, and no previous experience is required. Learn about butterfly biology, ecology and behavior and what it takes to identify the butterflies of northwest Indiana while participating in this important citizen science program.