For Ellwood. For everyone.
Ellwood Friends supports the stewardship, conservation and celebration of Ellwood Mesa. We foster a sense of community among those who cherish this coastal gem, and we work alongside our government and non-profit partners to care for Ellwood Mesa.
Monarch tagging at Ellwood Mesa
Watch this 4 min video to learn how YOU can participate in monarch conservation at Ellwood Mesa.
Name of app: Project Monarch
This project is made possible through a partnership with the City of Goleta, a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and support from Ellwood Friends.
Video credit: Christy Zwicke
Name Your Own Monarch Butterfly -
Support Groundbreaking Research!
Makes a great holiday gift for the nature lover in your life!
Join Ellwood Friends in Supporting Cutting-Edge Monarch Butterfly Research on the Central Coast!
We’re thrilled to share an extraordinary opportunity that puts our community at the center of groundbreaking monarch conservation research happening right here on the Central Coast. Thanks to a new partnership with Althouse & Meade monarch scientists, we have the chance to support the first-ever deployment of ultra-light tracking tags on monarch butterflies, offering scientists a trailblazing window into their movement and migration.
For a contribution of $1,000 or more, you can name one of the monarch butterflies selected for this pioneering study. This opportunity is limited to the first 20 donors, but donations of ANY amount support this critical monarch conservation research.
These remarkable tags (weighing about the same as a grain of rice) transmit over bluetooth via the Project Monarch app and the Motus network. This means tagged butterflies can be detected by people’s phones as they move through the landscape.
Tracking “your” monarch
When the monarchs are tagged and active, you can track them on the Project Monarch app by Cape May Point Science Center and Cellular Tracking Technologies.
Learning about the technology
You can learn more about the science and technology of radio tagging monarch butterflies on this webinar by Monarch Joint Venture.
The Science of Radio Tagging Monarchs, Monarch Joint Venture https://share.google/bzjFTP43cBmnTyCbH
You can also read more about this technology in this recent New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/science/monarch-butterfly-migration-tracking-sensor.html
Why this matters
Ellwood Mesa has long been a vital overwintering site for monarchs. With fewer butterflies arriving this season, scientists are expanding the study north and south along the Central Coast to ensure we gather meaningful data about overwintering monarch movement and spring dispersal that can shape conservation efforts for years to come. This is permitted, science-based work designed specifically to support monarch recovery. The data will help scientists map key stopover sites, understand migration patterns more clearly, and guide long-term habitat conservation.
A few important notes: We want to be transparent about what to expect so your gift comes with full understanding. These tags will be used throughout this winter season, and activation will occur sometime over the next four months. Monarch butterflies have variable survival rates during the overwintering season—this is natural. Some will not survive the season. Your support helps ensure we learn as much as possible from every individual tagged, contributing to larger efforts to protect this species for future generations.
How your contribution helps
Your gift directly supports the purchase of tracking tags, community engagement, and on-the-ground research taking place at Ellwood and neighboring overwintering sites. You submit the name for your monarch with your donation and you’ll receive the tag ID with “your” monarch as soon as it is tagged and active.
This is a rare and inspiring moment for conservation science and we would be honored to have you be part of it.
Ready to name a monarch and support this work? Click below to donate today.
This opportunity is limited to the first 20 donors.
Thank you for everything you do to care for Ellwood, our pollinators, and the landscapes that make the Central Coast so special.
To pay by check, ACH payment, or through a Donor Advised Fund,
email: melissa at legacyworksgroup.com
with the name of the butterfly and we will assist you.
Let’s keep in touch
Enter your email for monthly updates about events, volunteer days and all things Ellwood.
Let’s keep in touch
Enter your email for monthly updates about events, volunteer days and all things Ellwood.
Volunteers needed!
Volunteers are needed to plant trees and native plants that will provide food and shelter for overwintering monarch butterflies.
These volunteer events are part of a larger conservation effort to restore monarch habitat at Ellwood Mesa—one of the most important overwintering sites for Western monarchs. With butterfly populations declining due to drought and extreme weather, this project will plant hundreds of trees and thousands of native plants to create the shelter monarchs need to survive. Your help makes it possible.
Volunteer Days (Saturdays):
August 30 from 9 AM - 1 PM
September 27 from 9 AM - 1 PM
October 25 from 9 AM - 1 PM
November 15 from 9 AM - 1 PM
December 6 from 9 AM - 1 PM - only 1 day left for 2025
Nature Awareness & Journaling Class Friday December 5
Explore nature through sketching and observation in this engaging, hands-on journaling class. No experience needed—just curiosity and a love of the outdoors.
What is Nature Journaling?
Check out this inspiring explanation by Jack Laws. You can scroll down to play his introductory YouTube video.
Where: Coronado Bowl at the Coronado Butterfly Preserve. Walk up the trail and make the first left down into the bowl. Click here for a map.
When: Friday December 5.
Time: 2-3:30 PM
Who: Everyone is welcome! Please share with anyone who may be interested.
Cost: Sliding scale - Free to $25. Donations are not expected or required.
But if you are able to support these classes an keep them going, donations of any amount can be made online at Ellwood Friends - ellwoodfriends.org.
Who is teaching?
This class will be taught by Lori Clayton, a former teacher, counselor and experienced nature journaler. Thank you Lori! We’ll have different teachers each session. If you’re interested in leading a future class, please reply to this email. Stipends are available.
What to bring?
Essential materials (this is what I bring):
— pencil and/or pen
—sheets of blank paper or gridded/graph paper
—clipboard or other firm surface for paper
— beach chair or camp chair
Helpful in due course:
— small (6”) ruler
— small sketchbook (7” x 10” is a good size on lap) OR
—field/lab notebook (blank or gridded pages) with sturdy front & back covers for support
— colored pencils
— magnifying glass
— binoculars
Personal style options—up to each person’s eventual preference, such as:
—stopwatch or counters
—tweezers
—field guide books
—tape or clear film, or mounting block or other support for certain items
—erasers
—watercolors, watercolor pencils, brushes
—inks and dip pens
—charcoal, conté, pastels
Ellwood Anniversary Painting for Sale
Own the stunning landscape painting created live by Kevin Gleason during the Ellwood 20th Anniversary celebration. Half the proceeds will be donated to Ellwood Friends to support ongoing conservation efforts. Purchase or inquire at Kevin's website. Cost: $2,250.
Small actions make a big difference.
Join us in writing the next chapter of Ellwood Mesa’s story. Become a docent, volunteer at service day or let us know how you’d like to get involved. Your support today will shape Ellwood’s future.
Connect.
Give a little to make a big impact.
With your help, we can ensure that Ellwood Mesa thrives as a community-supported landscape — for today and for future generations.