Karen Oberhauser, Ph.D., is a conservation biologist who has spent more than four decades studying monarch butterflies and the factors contributing to their population declines.
Her work focuses on monarch ecology, including habitat availability and management, as well as risks associated with climate change and pest control practices.
Dr. Oberhauser has a long-standing commitment to K–12 education. She developed Monarchs in the Classroom, a program that includes teacher workshops, student research opportunities, curriculum development, and a nationwide citizen science initiative, the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project.
At the time of this recording, she was chair of the Steering Committee of the Monarch Joint Venture and a founding member of the Monarch Butterfly Fund.
Dr. Oberhauser earned degrees from Harvard College, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Minnesota.
The Monarch Joint Venture has made two Monarchs in the Classroom lesson plans available for Story Preservation Initiative to share: “What is Habitat?” and “A Field Guide to Monarch Habitat.” These are from the fourth edition; the fifth edition has been updated to align more closely with NGSS.
Lesson Plans
Lesson: What Is Habitat
Lesson: Make a Field Guide to a Monarch Habitat
Media of Interest
NPR: Monarch Butterflies May Soon Get Protection Under Endangered Species Act
