The Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS) is excited to continue its work at the Monarch Waystation in Nelson, with support from Wildsight’s Youth Climate Corps (YCC).
On May 8, YCC joined KNPS for a maintenance day, and they’ll return again on Friday, June 13 to plant over 60 additional native nectar species that will support migrating monarch butterflies and other pollinators.
“The Monarch Waystation shows what’s possible when a city, a community, and a team of young environmental leaders come together with a shared goal,” says Valerie Huff, executive director of KNPS.
“This isn’t just about planting flowers. It’s about creating stepping stones for monarchs, deepening our local biodiversity, and supporting people who want to make a difference right where they live.”
The Monarch Waystation project began in partnership with the City of Nelson’s FireSmart program and is a central piece of KNPS’ Milkweeds and Monarchs program. This community-led conservation effort aims to restore native milkweed populations and ensure critical breeding habitat for the endangered western monarch butterfly. Waystations like the one in Nelson provide vital habitat that supports the monarch life cycle and strengthens local ecosystem health.This upcoming planting event also marks the launch of KNPS’s Plants for Restoration initiative.
Through this program, KNPS is offering free milkweed and nectar plants to community-led restoration projects throughout the West Kootenay. In return, recipients agree to care for the plants and monitor for monarch activity as part of a citizen science effort to track and support western monarch migration.
The program is open now through July. To apply for free plants, or learn more, visit https://kootenaynativeplants.ca/plants-for-restoration-spring-2025/.
KNPS is inviting community members to join the June 13 planting day. Volunteers will help plant, water, and weed the site. The organization is also seeking a watering truck, or support from anyone with access to water transport, to help establish the new plants during this critical phase.
For more information about the event and how to get involved, please email outreach@kootenaynativeplants.ca.
