January 02, 2025
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Streator Monarch Mission kicks off with work at canoe launch

Volunteers cut sod, prepare area for planting

By Derek Barichello
Volunteer Nina Vaughn pulls up sod Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch in Streator to get it ready for the planting of a pollinator garden to attract monarch butterflies. She is joined by assistants Karsyn Vaughn-Scott (left) and Kamari Johnson.

Volunteer Nina Vaughn pulls up sod Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch in Streator to get it ready for the planting of a pollinator garden to attract monarch butterflies. She is joined by assistants Karsyn Vaughn-Scott (left) and Kamari Johnson. (Derek Barichello)

The Streator Monarch Mission is underway.

Volunteers led by Nina Vaughn cut sod Saturday morning at the west entrance of the Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch in preparation of planting a pollinator garden there.

Volunteers will meet again at 10 a.m. Sunday at the Hopalong Cassidy entrance to continue work there. Anyone wishing to help rake or help move sod is welcome to join the effort.

Kamari Johnson (left) and Karsyn Vaughn-Scott help gather sod Saturday, April 22, 2023, after it was cut to make way for a pollinator garden at the west entrance of Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch in Streator.

Kamari Johnson (left) and Karsyn Vaughn-Scott help gather sod Saturday, April 22, 2023, after it was cut to make way for a pollinator garden at the west entrance of Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch in Streator. (Derek Barichello)

The Monarch Mission was approved Wednesday by the Streator City Council to move forward with not only the pollinator garden at the canoe launch, but also to plant flowers and native grasses between the levy and the Vermilion River, and a buckwheat field to the north of Marilla Park; and to add perennial flowers to the planters by the incubator; and to plant a sunflower patch in the area west of the incubator.

Vaughn has said 200 pounds of buckwheat seed has been ordered for Marilla Park and she’s ordered orange velvet queen sunflower seeds for the incubator. Vaughn and volunteers were assisted by her grandchildren Karsyn and Kamari. Karsyn enjoys going to the garden and seeing the butterflies, as well as educating people about them.

Kamari Johnson helps rake the dirt Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the entrance to Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch after it sod was cut from it to make way for a pollinator garden.

Kamari Johnson helps rake the dirt Saturday, April 22, 2023, at the entrance to Hopalong Cassidy Canoe Launch after it sod was cut from it to make way for a pollinator garden. (Derek Barichello)

The monarch butterfly, Illinois’ state insect, last summer was listed as endangered on the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s Red List of threatened species.

Streator’s sites will be eligible to become Monarch Waystations. These are places that provide resources necessary for monarchs to produce successive generations and sustain their migration, according to the program’s website.

Without milkweeds throughout their spring and summer in North America, monarchs would not be able to produce the successive generations that culminate in the migration to Mexico each fall. Similarly, without nectar from flowers, these fall migratory monarch butterflies would be unable to make their migration. Anyone interested can visit https://www.monarchwatch.org/waystations/#register for more information on how to create a waystation.

Anyone interested in volunteering with the Streator Monarch Mission or getting more information about planting can go to the volunteers’ Facebook page.