SPORTS
OUTDOORS: Scientists seek help tracking monarch butterflies
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists are asking for the public’s help in monitoring monarch butterflies.
Since monitoring of wintering monarch butterfly populations in the Mexican states of Michoacan and Mexico began in 1993, the World Wildlife Fund has documented a decline in such activity – reaching an all-time low last winter.
Monarch decline has been attributed to factors including illegal logging, extreme weather conditions in wintering and breeding grounds and a decline in milkweed abundance here in Texas.
Biologists from the TPWD Wildlife Diversity Program recently launched a project to explore Texas milkweed – determining where it is, how much is out there and are monarchs using it.
The project arose from concerns that herbicide-resistant crops are resulting in an increased use of herbicide to control weeds and a loss of milkweed in that region.
Loss of milkweed is significant since it is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat.
The project is housed on the Internet application iNaturalist.org, a platform researchers are using who ask for citizen assistance in supporting their work.
When people see milkweed in their travels, they can take a photograph, add it to the project and answer four questions stemming from your observation.
They do not even have to know any of the more than 40 species of milkweed found in Texas.
Through the project, the Wildlife Diversity Program hopes to produce a map showing where milkweed is found in Texas, what species of milkweed people are finding, whether it is natural or cultivated, and if monarchs are using it. Patterns in agricultural areas and urban communities will be examined.
For information, see the Texas Milkweeds and Monarchs project website on iNaturalist.org.
Monarch butterfly. (Courtesy photo by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department)
A positive culture can be tough to install but will reap dividends if done correctly.
Trinadee Imotichey is trying to do just that with her Forestburg Lady Longhorns.
Imotichey, an assistant coach on the 2025 Forestburg volleyball team, was moved into the head coaching position. Last year’s coach, Cori Hayes, took over as football head coach.
Imotichey, in her 2nd year in Forestburg, said she learned a lot from Hayes and is ready to take over.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Bowie’s summer softball league team overcame a 6-1 deficit with a six-run third inning for a 7-6 win over Bridgeport in its season opener July 6.
The league consists of teams from Bowie, Nocona, Lindsay, Bridgeport, and Alvord and will last three weeks. Bowie will host games each week.
Bowie pitcher Hazel Trahern gave up two singles and a groundout to put the Sissies on the board in the first. It would be the only hits she gave up in the game. Two groundouts and a strikeout got the Lady Rabbits out of the jam.
Bowie got the run back in the bottom of the first with Andee Jo Miller opening the frame with a walk and a stolen base. She then scored on Kynlee Baker’s groundout to tie the game at one.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Rest. Run. Repeat.
Sage Keck, an 8th grader at Montague, lives by this mantra. No ifs, ands and buts about it.
She’s been running since fourth grade PE classes where she would run a mile every week. After discovering she could outrun the other students, she began to enjoy it and continued doing it.
Her success continued, as she finished 2nd overall against more than 200 runners at the Old Saint Jo 5K July 4. In last weekend’s Texas Junior Olympics, she reached the pinnacle of her career so far by qualifying for the United States of America Track and Field (USATF) National Junior Olympics in Norwalk, Calif. in three events.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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