Monarch Madness Event Returns to the Weldon Spring Site

More than 400 visitors gathered for the annual Monarch Madness event at the Office of Legacy Management’s (LM) Weldon Spring Site Interpretive Center in St. Charles County, Missouri, on Sept. 14. The family-friendly festival was organized by the Missouri Pollinator Network, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Master Naturalists, and several other volunteers. 

The event is held every year during the height of the monarch butterfly migration and is heavily attended by families across St. Louis. The festival brings awareness to the declining monarch population, showcases the beneficial reuse of the Weldon Spring site, and inspires communities to act in supporting healthier pollinator habitats.

Festival attendees had the opportunity to participate in hands-on educational activities and crafts, visit local craft vendors, and listen to a range of guest speakers.

“We are always excited to be able to host this amazing event. It provides visitors the opportunity to see what they can do to support pollinators like this species and how they play such a crucial role in our environment,” said LM Site Manager Rebecca Roberts.

“Monarch Madness was created to educate and inspire those in the community to embrace all kinds of pollinators in hopes of helping protect our world,” said Monarch Madness 2024 Event Lead Nicole Snyder. “Pollinators are vital to humans’ well-being not only in the food we eat, but in the landscapes, we enjoy and the air we breathe. This event will hopefully give people a better understanding as to their importance in all these things.”

Guest speakers included experts from the Missouri State Parks, the Audubon Society, and the Ameren Electric Power Research Institute and Certified Crop Advisor Program. Topics of focus were “All About Bees,” “Birds Need Pollinators Too,” and “Power of Pollinators.”

After catching a presentation inside one of the classrooms, visitors could step into the exhibit hall and learn about the site’s history and remediation through one of the scheduled tours from Interpretive Center staff. The 4,500-square-foot space allowed interested guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in Weldon Spring’s story. From World War II to the Cold War and beyond, the exhibit hall depicts the site through historical objects, photos and video, and interactive features.

“The exhibit hall is a great way to showcase some of the beneficial reuse at the site and provide the local community with valuable information about the site’s cleanup and its long-term stewardship,” Roberts said.

Outside the interpretive center, attendees could hike the 75-foot-high disposal cell or walk through the site’s Howell Prairie. The 150-acre area is a key piece of the monarch’s migration pathway.  

“The Howell prairie contains 80 species of native prairie grasses and wildflowers, which serves as an ideal habitat for wildlife and pollinators,” Roberts said. “The prairie is a crucial piece of the beneficial reuse done at the site and is enjoyed by visitors year-round.”

In addition to the featured events and activities, one of the most unique parts of the festival was the monarch tagging station set up by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Visitors were able to net butterflies and watch as workers tagged these important species so their migration patterns could continue to be studied.

“We are so happy to see how successful this event has been, and we look forward to having more events like these in the future,” Roberts said.