{"id":381542,"date":"2021-08-31T01:24:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-31T01:24:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uat.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=381542"},"modified":"2025-04-07T22:19:34","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T22:19:34","slug":"nonprofits-use-gis-for-community-engagement","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/nonprofits-use-gis-for-community-engagement","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofits Use GIS for Grassroots Community Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Field Museum in Chicago uses GIS (geographic information systems) to engage local communities in monarch butterfly research and protection.<\/h2>\n\n
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Monarch butterflies are amazing creatures. They are instantly recognizable with their brilliant orange and black wings. They also perform marathon migrations across the North American continent \u2013 the eastern monarch population (east of the Rocky Mountains) travels an astounding 4,000-to-5,000-kilometre journey<\/a> \u2013 one of the world\u2019s longest insect migrations. And they contribute to the health of our planet. Monarchs are a flagship prairie species: Prairie habitat is important to pheasants and other animals dependent on grasslands and wildflowers, which have complex root systems that help filter water, reduce runoff, and control erosion. They are also a flagship conservation species<\/a>: While feeding on nectar, they pollinate many types of wildflowers, and are an important food source for birds, small animals, and other insects.<\/p>\n\n

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Migration paths of the monarch butterfly (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<\/a>). Overwintering sites in Mexico and California.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A Precipitous Decline in Monarch Butterfly Populations<\/h3>\n\n

Monarch butterfly numbers are dropping significantly, due to habitat loss, deforestation, loss of plants (for nectar and for laying eggs), climate change, and exposure to pesticides. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service<\/a>, scientists have noted steep declines in North American monarchs overwintering in Mexico and California. Numbers in the larger eastern population are measured by the size of the overwintering roosts in Mexico; it is estimated that the population fell from 384 million in 1996 to a low of 14 million in 2013; the 2019 population was about 60 million. The western population, located in California, saw a more precipitous decline, from about 1.2 million in 1997 to fewer than 30,000 in 2019. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service finds the Endangered Species Act Listing<\/a> for the monarch butterfly \u201cwarranted,\u201d but precluded for now.<\/p>\n\n

Urban Wildlife Habitats: A New Way to \u201cSee\u201d the City<\/h3>\n\n
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Over 50% of the world\u2019s population lives in urban areas, and that number is only expected to grow (World Bank<\/a>). The world\u2019s cities cover only 3% of the Earth\u2019s land, but consume 60-80% of manufactured energy and are responsible for 70% of carbon emissions. According to the IUCN<\/a>, although cities pose a significant threat to biodiversity and habitat loss, they can also support species and biodiversity conservation. The Keller Science Action Center at the Field Museum in Chicago is researching the vital role cities, and the people that call them home, can play in conservation and ensuring biodiversity. Specifically, they are examining the role of monarch butterflies as pollinators in cities, and also a new way of \u201cseeing\u201d the city from the perspective of the monarch<\/a>. This includes assessing the role cities could play in helping to increase the amount of habitat available to support eastern monarch butterflies, and to identify best practices for engaging a diversity of urban stakeholders in the creation of monarch habitat.<\/p>\n\n

Field Museum Chicago: Where Science and Community Action Come Together<\/h3>\n\n

An important part of the Field Museum\u2019s monarch butterfly research and conservation work seeks to understand the motivations, concerns, interests, and challenges of diverse stakeholder groups, and to directly integrate community action. The project team implemented community science programs around Chicago, and developed resources that anyone can use to help monarchs and other pollinators. Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed, and milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars can eat. Residents in and around Chicago participate by monitoring milkweed for monarch eggs and caterpillars in home gardens and in natural areas around schools, offices, parks, and roads.<\/p>\n\n

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Community members monitor milkweed patches (Field Museum<\/a>). <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

A GIS Workflow to Engage the Community<\/h3>\n\n

Suitable Plantable Space:<\/strong> The first step for the team at the Keller Science Action Center was to study suitable milkweed planting space by land use type<\/a>. Within cities like the Chicago metro region, they found that residential areas can be a significant contributor of milkweed due to the availability of plantable space (defined as grassy or shrubby habitat where milkweed can be grown) as well as the enthusiasm of residents to plant milkweed and provide habitat for monarchs.<\/p>\n\n

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Read an in-depth description of milkweed estimation in metropolitan areas<\/a>. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

Online Hub as Center of Activity<\/strong> \u2013 The team built an ArcGIS Hub<\/a> to provide educational tools, inspiration, and background information. This is where community members sign up to be part of the effort, so they can RSVP for training sessions and access data surveys based on ArcGIS Survey123. <\/p>\n\n

The combination of Survey123 and ArcGIS Hub enables us to improve how we communicate and collaborate with our participants, making the process easier for both us and them and also keeping them engaged throughout the summer.<\/p>

Karen Klinger, GIS Specialist<\/cite>Keller Action Center, Field Museum<\/span><\/div><\/blockquote><\/section>\n\n

Through the ArcGIS Hub<\/a>, community members can: <\/p>\n\n