Monarch butterflies rely on roadside corridors for essential nectar sources and milkweed. TRB is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 from 1:00 to 2:30 PM Eastern that will discuss how transportation managers may enhance roadside areas for monarchs and other pollinators. This webinar will identify the current state of knowledge about monarchs’ use of roadside rights-of-ways and associated risks. Presenters will describe two tools roadside managers can use to assess monarch habitats. These tools include a Landscape Prioritization Model to identify roadsides with the greatest potential for monarch conservation, and a Roadside Monarch Habitat Evaluator, which takes data from a rapid assessment protocol that automatically calculates monarch habitat quality. The presenters will also share management support materials and present case studies regarding the success of programs in transportation departments with pollinator habitat programs.

This webinar draws on research from the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Report 942: Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies.

Some registrants will need to pay $95 to attend this webinar. Sign into MyTRB.org to view registration information.

Webinar agenda and presenters

1. Background on monarch butterflies: Laura Lukens, Monarch Joint Venture
   • Their range, their decline, threats they face
2. Habitat conservation and the role that the transportation sector plays: Laura Lukens, Monarch Joint Venture
3. Landscape Prioritization Model: Chris Nootenboom, University of Minnesota
4. Roadside Monarch Habitat Evaluator: Karen Tuerk, Monarch Joint Venture
5. Current management practices: Jennifer Hopwood, Xerces
6. Minnesota case study: Emilie Snell-Rood, University of Minnesota
7. Question and answer session: Moderated by Karen Tuerk, Monarch Joint Venture

The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this webinar, you will able to:

1. Explain how roadside management practices may enhance habitat and breeding conditions for monarchs and other pollinators
2. Build a Landscape Prioritization Model and assemble the Roadside Monarch Habitat Evaluator to assess habitat quality in their roadway corridors
3. Discuss case studies of transportation departments’ practices that support monarch and pollinator conservation

Professional Development Hour Information

Professional engineers (PEs) who register and attend the entire webinar as an individual will be awarded 1.5 Professional Development Hours (PDHs). TRB’s webinar program awards PDH credits only to the registered individual, and not to other members of a group that view the webinar together. To be eligible for the credits, individuals must remain signed in for the entire webinar, including for any question and answer session following the presentations.

Pre-registration is required. Once the webinar starts, you will be unable to register. Individuals that are registered for a webinar but do not receive their confirmation emails due to their organization’s internal firewalls should contact the TRB Helpdesk for assistance in signing in.

Please check with your licensing board to ensure that TRB webinar PDHs are approved by your board.

TRB will report credits earned to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Complaints about registered providers may be sent to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C., 20005.

Registration questions? Contact Reggie Gillum.