AWAKE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Monarch Butterfly — in Protected AWAKE Micro-Environment
awake research institute
Our research institute focuses on species that are near threatened, vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered including the Laysan Albatross, Monarch Butterfly, and Desert Tortoise.
George, our Desert Tortoise, is the first touch-point for children, visitors and students when they visit AWAKE’s headquarters, and the first in-person experience most have with an endangered species. It seems all who meet George fall in love with him!
Visitors also visit our butterfly ecosystem to observe the Monarch and Swallowtail lifecycle at each stage, through egg, instars, and chrysalis, and for the lucky, eclosure and flight!
We specifically study how these species have been impacted by human-caused environmental degradation including urban development, habitat disruption, chemical and plastic pollution, and climate change.
Our hypothesis is that equally-opposing human intervention, to that which is severely harming these species, provides one step in the right direction in saving these species from extinction.
In both Los Angeles and on the North Shore of Kauai we meticulously create micro-environments where these species are protected from the existing and increasing threats caused by humans. We closely monitor species adaptations and behavior to better understand ways of saving these species from extinction.
AWAKE’s research enables other organizations and citizen scientists to learn from our efforts. By sharing the results of our studies, and by inviting community members into our micro-environments for butterflies and desert tortoises, we educate about daily changes that can be made to help a yard and garden become more hospitable to endangered wildlife.