Elizabeth Peoples
Communications Coordinator
Missourians for Monarchs
epeoples@pheasantsforever.org
COLUMBIA, MO, MAY 1, 2020- The Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative recently named Elizabeth Peoples as their Communication Coordinator. Elizabeth will be tasked with coordinating
and promoting statewide monarch and pollinator conservation efforts as outlined in the Missouri Monarch and Pollinator Conservation Plan. Elizabeth will market events and inform the public of current programs, projects, and successes through social media, press releases, and website management on the behalf of the Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative. In her role, Elizabeth will also provide communication support for the Natural Resources Conservation Service promoting farm bill programs and outcomes especially as they relate to the creation and management of pollinator habitat.
“Working together the 45 member organizations of the Missourians for Monarchs Collaborative have created or managed over 390,000 acres of pollinator habitat since 2014. Elizabeth was hired to help tell that story and to recruit new partners to join what has become one of the most successful monarch habitat creation efforts in the nation.” – Casey Bergthold, Pheasant Forever and Quail Forever’s Missouri State Coordinator.
Elizabeth Peoples graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis in Natural Resource Recreation Management. Elizabeth has worked with Missouri State Parks, Kansas City Parks and Recreation, O’Fallon Parks and Recreation, and most recently the Conservation Federation of Missouri. “One of the most important aspects of experiencing such a wide array of organizations is the ability to understand the perspectives of each stakeholder and how best to approach that specific demographic or region with conservation goals that align with their own. I am excited for the opportunity to join the coalition and work with such a talented team” says, Peoples.
During the past two decades, monarch butterfly populations have declined by an estimated 90 percent due to factors including habitat loss and a lack of milkweed, the sole plant genus used by the monarch during its egg and larval stages. Missourians for Monarchs was formed in 2015 as a statewide initiative to address monarch and pollinator conservation in the state. In August 2016, Collaborative partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to annually creating and maintaining 19,000 acres of pollinator habitat with 200 stems of milkweed per acre, for the next 20 years.
The Collaborative members include conservation and agricultural organizations, state and federal agencies as well as utilities, agribusinesses, and cooperatives. Funding partners for the Coordinator include the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Ameren Missouri, Bayer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program, Missouri Department of Conservation, MFA Incorporated, Associated Electric Cooperative Incorporated, Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Deep Roots KC, Missouri Master Naturalist, Missouri Prairie Foundation, and Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever.
Elizabeth will begin her role as the Missourians for Monarchs Communication Coordinator on May 4, 2020. For more information about Missourians for Monarchs or to learn how you can become involved, please visit moformonarchs.org or call (573) 876-9401.
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UPDATE: Elizabeth was married in October of 2020. Her new name and contact information is as follows
Elizabeth Egan
eegan@pheasantsforever.org