The Monarch Monitoring Project is a long-term study on monarch migration through Cape May, NJ. It is a part of the New Jersey Audubon Research Department, and closely affiliated with the Cape May Bird Observatory. This project is the longest-running monarch migration monitoring project in North America, and is one of the best sources of information on the status of monarch populations that migrate along the Atlantic coast. This program was initiated in 1990 by Dick Walton and Lincoln Brower, and involves driving a fixed route through the town three times daily during the fall months, and all monarchs seen are counted. The Cape May monarch program also involves capturing and tagging monarchs with uniquely numbered stickers (not the same as MonarchWatch stickers), and there is a large outreach component to the project; since this site is frequented by thousands of tourists and birders, the monarch team regularly gives monarch demonstrations at the hawkwatch pavilion.
Cape May Monarch Monitoring Project
Program Date(s): 1990
Institution Type: Nature Center
Species Focus: Monarchs
Contact Person: Dick Walton
Protocol Type: Open search, Count
Data Type(s): Abundance
Survey Focus: Adults
Visit Frequency: Daily
Protocol Notes: A fixed route is driven three times daily during the census season (Sept and Oct) each year.