SHOREACRES — The Clear Lake Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) is excited to unveil a Monarch Waystation sign on Shoreacres Boulevard at SH 146. The sign was dedicated on August 10, 2023, in a morning ceremony.
By definition, a Monarch Waystation is any location that hosts plants and resources, such as milkweed and other native wildflowers, that are essential to the Monarch butterfly’s lifecycle and international migration. This location was selected by NPSOT and Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the landowner, as a Monarch Waystation because of the resources present at the site and the site’s location in the Monarch Gulf Coast migratory pathway.
As the Monarch butterfly teeters on the brink of becoming endangered, it is more important than ever that sites like the Shoreacres site be identified, acknowledged, and preserved. In an effort to prevent the need for the listing of the Monarch butterfly as an endangered species, in March 2020, the US Fish and Wildlife Service drafted the Nationwide Candidate Conservation Agreement for Monarch Butterfly on Energy and Transportation Lands, whereby TxDOT (along with numerous other energy and transportation entities) committed to voluntarily manage their properties where essential services and resources to Monarch butterflies are identified in a beneficial manner.
With funding from Port Houston, the waystation sign is designed as an educational tool that illustrates three major components regarding the Monarch butterfly: 1) the Xerces Society migration pathways from Mexico to Canada, 2) the Monarch’s lifecycle that includes the production of four successive generations of butterflies each year, and 3) the native plants that are essential to the Monarch which can be found in this area. NPSOT knows that when native plants (and their habitats) are protected, all pollinators, including the Monarch, benefit. Hopefully, the sign will act as a reminder that native plants need our help and protection because they provide resources and services to pollinators year-round.
The Shoreacres Waystation Sign Project was the result of a cooperative effort between NPSOT Clear Lake Chapter and its members; Port Houston, provider of funding through its Community Grants Program; TxDOT, who granted access to the property and instituted the NPSOT-recommended maintenance program; Yellowstone, TxDOT’s maintenance contractor; the Rotary Club of La Porte, who executed a Pollinator Pledge as part of Rotary International’s Operation Pollination; and the City of Shoreacres.
For more details on upcoming chapter events, please visit npsot.org/chapters/clearlake and follow us @NPSOTClearLake on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
