In an effort to enhance general knowledge about the western monarch population in the Pacific Northwest, Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates (SOMA) was created. SOMA engages in a variety of habitat conservation and outreach efforts throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2015 alone, SOMA led habitat workshops in Bend, OR, Brookings, OR, Ashland, OR, Burns, OR, Sacramento, CA, Carson City, CA, and Cambridge, England (Coffan 2016).

SOMA’s education and outreach efforts are fueled by the need to cultivate and restore milkweed in Southern Oregon. Milkweed and nectar plants native to Southern Oregon have successfully been established at nature centers, youth camps, state parks and community schools. SOMA is now targeting its monarch and pollinator habitat restoration efforts on 4,050 hectares (10,000 acres) of oak savannah uplands in Southern Oregon (Coffan 2016). In order to increase the availability of native milkweed and pollinator plants for restoration projects, SOMA has “identified and are working with several local nurseries who are now growing native milkweed species, as well as other nectar-bearing plants for monarch waystations” and other large-scale restoration projects (Coffan 2016).

SOMA also participates in Washington State University professor Dr. David James’ tagging program, and monarchs they have tagged in Central and Southern Oregon have been recovered at overwintering sites in California.

• Robert Coffan. 2016. Southern Oregon Monarch Advocates. Personal communication.

Keywords: milkweed