MEDFORD, Ore. — A new study being conducted by Dr. David James at Washington State University is monitoring Monarch butterflies and a Medford woman is helping.
Monarch butterflies are close to being on the endangered species list and this study collects the data on the western monarch population.
Lynn Kuntsman, a resident in Medford, has raised more than 60 monarch butterflies for the study, and today she released 16 tagged butterflies.
The butterflies will head to the central California coast for winter.
“He is collecting that data and trying to monitor the size of the population and where individuals are going, how far individuals travel,” Kuntsman said.
Kuntsman says she raises the butterflies in her home because only 10 percent of butterflies survive in the wild. She says some factors that contribute to their short life span are different kinds of spiders as well as chemical herbicides and pesticides.
They’re asking anyone if they see a monarch butterfly with a tag on it, to take a photo and send it to [email protected].
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