About Pickens County progress. (Jasper, Ga.) 1899-current | View Entire Issue (June 23, 2022)
PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JUNE 23. 2022 •r 4 Monarch butterflies are thriving 5 * Monarch summer numbers have remained stable for 25 years despite dire warnings. By Leigh Beeson UGA Extension For years, scientists have warned that monarch butter flies are dying off in droves because of diminishing win ter colonies. But new re search from the University of Georgia shows that the sum mer population of monarchs has remained relatively stable over the past 25 years. Published in Global Change Biology’, the study suggests that population growth during the summer compensates for butterfly losses due to migration, win ter weather and changing en vironmental factors. “There’s this perception out there that monarch popu lations are in dire trouble, but we found that’s not at all the case,” said Andy Davis, cor responding author of the study and an assistant re search scientist in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology. “It goes against what everyone thinks, but we found that they’re doing quite well. In fact, monarchs are actually one of the most widespread butterflies in North Amer ica.” The study authors caution against becoming compla cent, though, because rising global temperatures may bring new and growing threats not just to monarchs but to all insects. “There are some once widespread butterfly species that now are in trouble,” said William Snyder, co-author of the paper and a professor in UGA’s College of Agricul tural and Environmental Sci ences. “So much attention is being paid to monarchs in stead, and they seem to be in pretty good shape overall. It seems like a missed opportu nity. We don’t want to give the idea that insect conserva tion isn’t important because it is. It’s just that maybe this one particular insect isn’t in nearly as much trouble as we thought.” This study represents the largest and most comprehen sive assessment of breeding monarch butterfly population to date. Summer breeding makes up for winter monarch losses The researchers compiled more than 135,000 monarch observations from the North American Butterfly Associa tion between 1993 and 2018 to examine population pat terns and possible drivers of population changes, such as precipitation and widespread use of agricultural herbicides. The North American But terfly Association utilizes cit izen-scientists to document butterfly species and counts across North America during a two-day period every sum mer. Each group of observers has a defined circle to patrol that spans about 15 miles in diameter, and the observers tally all butterflies they see, including monarchs. By carefully examining the monarch observations, the team found an overall an nual increase in monarch rel ative abundance of 1.36% per year, suggesting that the breeding population of mon archs in North America is not declining on average. Al though wintering populations in Mexico have seen docu mented declines in past years, the findings suggest that the butterflies’ summer breeding in North America makes up for those losses. That marathon race to Mexico or California each fall, Davis said, may be get ting more difficult for the butterflies as they face traffic, bad weather and more obsta cles along the way south. So fewer butterflies are reaching the finish line. “But when they come back north in the spring, they can really compensate for those losses,” Davis said. “A single female can lay 500 eggs, so they’re capable of rebounding tremendously, given the right resources. What that means is that the winter colony declines are al most like a red herring. They’re not really represen tative of the entire species’ population, and they’re kind of misleading. Even the re cent increase in winter colony sizes in Mexico isn’t as important as some would like to think.” Changing monarch migration patterns One concern for conserva tionists has been the sup posed national decline in milkweed, the sole food source for monarch caterpil lars. But Davis believes this A monarch butterfly rests on a leaf in Nova Scotia, Canada. photos/Pat Davis Monarch butterflies were widely considered to be in dire straits, but new research shows a stable breeding population. study suggests that breeding monarchs already have all the habitat they need in North America. If they didn’t, Davis said, the researchers would have seen that in this data. “Everybody thinks monarch habitat is being lost left and right, and for some insect species this might be true but not for monarchs,” Davis said. If you think about it, monarch habitat is people habitat. Monarchs are really good at utilizing the land scapes we’ve created for our selves. Backyard gardens, pastures, roadsides, ditches, old fields—all of that is monarch habitat.” In some parts of the U.S., monarchs have a year-round or nearly year-round pres ence, which leads some re searchers to believe the insects may in part be mov ing away from the annual mi gration to Mexico. San Francisco, for example, hosts monarchs year-round be cause people plant non-native tropical milkweed. And Florida is experiencing fewer freezes each year, making its climate an alternative for monarchs that would nor mally head across the border. “There’s this idea out there about an insect apoca lypse—all the insects are going to be lost,” said Sny der. “But it’s just not that simple. Some insects proba bly are going to be harmed; some insects are going to benefit. You really have to take that big pig picture at a more continental scale over a relatively long time period to get the true picture of what’s happening.” The study was funded by grants from the USDA Na tional Institute of Food and Agriculture. The paper was co-au- thored by Timothy Meehan, of the National Audubon So ciety; Matthew Moran, of Flendrix College; and Jeffrey Glassberg, of Rice University and the North American But terfly Association. Michael Crossley, who worked on the study as a postdoctoral re searcher in the Department of Entomology and is now at the University of Delaware, is first author of the paper. r* L_51 n Pickens County Water & Sewer Authority Annual Water Quality Report j 2021 pws • GA2270002 DfeKkrttUlta IW: -W-2SW1S Fu: '•4-25J-T29 u A copy of the 2021 Pickens County Water Quality Report is now available online at www.pickenscountyga.gov or you may call the office706-253-871 8. We are located at 1266 East Church Street, Suite 11 7, Jasper, Ga 30143. Like us on Facebook: Pickens County Water & Sewer Authority. Sign up for Code Red Alerts: pickenscountyga.gov Registration for 2022-23 Preschool at JUMC Still Open JUMC Preschool JASPER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH By Suellen Reitz It’s never to early to start the education process of a child. Some parents to be even read to their unborn child. For many children, preschool is their first expe rience in a structured setting with teachers and groups of children. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow in structions, and begin the foundation for learning that will occur in elementary school. Going to a preschool as early as age three does not mean it takes away the free dom of being a child... it simply adds to it. Traditionally, registration for preschool begins in Janu ary before the following school year begins in August. New parents unaware of the early registration time may miss the deadline and be forced to wait another year before entering their child into the school program. Jasper United Methodist Church Preschool is the ex ception to that deadline pe riod this year and is currently offering registration open ings. New Director of Chil dren’s Ministries/Preschool of JUMC, Kelly Wisniewski, is very excited about taking on the reigns as preschool di rector this year. “Deborah Goodrum retired this year after 34 years of working with our children in the pro gram. My own kids attended JUMC preschool 21 years ago. I have big shoes to fill and I’m honored to have been given this opportunity. It’s because of this transition that our enrollment registra tion was delayed. Next year, we will register like other preschools in January,” she explained. That delay is a good thing for children not yet registered. “In most cases, all preschool programs in the area are already full,” spoke Wisniewski. “We just want to be there for as many children as possible.” With new leadership, there are also a few changes being put into place. Chil dren ages 2-3 can now be en rolled in either a three day or 5 day program. Hours are 8:00 a.m. - noon, but parents have the option to drop off as early as 7:30 a.m. The sec ond big change includes on line payment, registration and online access to valuable info for parents of enrolled students. Students of all ages will be introduced to sign lan guage, Spanish, music and curriculum based on the Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning for PreK. Every child in this Christ- Centered environment will experience spiritual, emo tional, physical, social and intellectual growth and de velopment. Combine that with loving teachers and fun filled activities... preschool will sure to become one of your child’s favorite activi ties. Scholarships are currently being set up in honor of the outgoing director for finan cial assistance. The JUMC Preschool is non denomina tion and open to all children. School year will begin on August 8. Please register on line at www.jaspemmc.org or pick up a registration packet in the church office. For more information, please call the church office at 706 253- 2100. Coffee & Doughnuts with Pickens Democrats Saturday, June 25, drop by 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (Also sign up for our email list, pick up yard signs.) Pickens Co. Community Center, Room 2 1329 Camp Road, Jasper Website: https://pickensdemocrats.org COMPACT 9MM!!! TAURUS G2C 9MM Pistol 3.2” Barrel 12-Round Cap $24945 'AR15 STYLE RIFLE!!!!' PA15 - .223/5.56 • I 16 Barrel ; 1 30-Rnd mag 1 $449.95: L — _______ J ■ :iiiyniMi:[duu THE OLD MULEHOUSE GEORGIA DRINKS The Old Mulehouse offers a modern upscale twist to the neighborhood tavern with a creative chef-driven menu, a full cocktail bar, our signature mules, and features beer and wine from Georgia. (706) 253-3440 OLDMULEHOUSE.COM 2 North Main Street Jasper, Ga 30143 Open at I I a.m.Wed-Sun Closed Mon&Tues
