Monarch Butterflies migrate large distances from Mexico, where they winter, to central and northern United States. To gain a better understanding of their populations and migration patterns, citizen scientists tag monarchs in late summer early fall when monarchs are in their “Super Generation” on their way back to Mexico. The tags are in conjunction with MonarchWatch.org and the University of Kansas that take the data collected during the tagging and monitor migrations.   

Contact the Omaha Zoo Education Department at (402)-738-2092 or educate@OmahaZoo.com for questions. 

Public tagging events will be held at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in September. Events are open to the public and free with membership to the Omaha Zoo or paid admission. Staff will be on-site for the duration of the times listed. Registration not required, supplies limited.

Public Tagging Dates at Omaha's Henry Door Zoo & Aquarium is complete for the year.  Here are a few photos from the event:

The easiest step you can take to become a Conservation Hero is right in front of you! Get started by pledging to BYO (bring your own) reusable items to help reduce single-use plastics. The BYO campaign runs from Earth Day 2022 to Earth Day 2023. Throughout the year, the Zoo will partner with local organizations, as well as heroes like you to take action, in starting ocean-friendly habits by "bringing our own" wherever we can, to help our Earth's lakes, oceans, rivers and other waterways.

Take the pledge to start earning your Conservation Hero status and stay tuned to the Zoo's social media channels for additional ways we can conquer single-use plastics together.

Take the Pledge

Check out the businesses that are apart of the campaign below! Click each location and see the discription for what to bring.

Download these smart phone wallpapers to remind yourself to Bring Your Own resusables! 

These animals are the faces of those impacted by plastic pollution. Take your pledge to help! 

Sea Lion Background 

Shark Background 

Flamingo Background 

Sandhill Crane Background 

Sea Turtle Background 

Northern Pike Background 

Cleanup Locations

For questions, contact Caitlin Leary at (402)-738-2092 or educate@omahazoo.com.

    

CITY NATURE CHALLENGE 2022 RESULTS ARE IN!

Accept the Challenge

Workshops are for groups or families and are available by reservation three weeks in advance. Minimum participants in a reserved workshop is 5 people with minimum age of 6 years old. Cost is $16/person unless reserved with another education program then adults are free. Cost includes supplies and equipment use. Workshops run 2 hours in length and can be reserved any day of the week.

Contact the Education Department at (402) 738-2092 or Educate@OmahaZoo.com to inquire about topic availability and reserving your spot today. 

Available Topics Include

Amphibian Conservation

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, together with other zoos and organizations, has launched the Amphibian Conservation Initiative to address the decline of amphibians on a global scale. This initiative includes the establishment of facilities and the training of staff, capable of quarantining amphibians and carrying out captive breeding programs. Once threats have been lowered or resolved, offspring of the amphibians will be released back into the wild.

Salamander Conservation

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium and Wildlife Safari Park needs your help! We are on the lookout for tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum), a species that was last spotted in this area almost 10 years ago.We are looking to you for help in collecting data to see if they are still in eastern Nebraska.

Butterfly Conservation

Approximately 3 percent of butterfly species are threatened with extinction. This decline in butterfly populations is attributed primarily to habitat loss due to urbanization and agriculture. As populations continue to decrease, a growing need to more closely monitor species is developing. Because there is little distinction between some types of butterflies, identification and classification proves to be a challenge. Very few Lepidopterists (scientists who study butterflies and moths) exist; therefore monitoring population sizes and ranges of butterfly species is a daunting task.

SECORE Conservation

Coral reefs are declining worldwide due to global warming, ocean acidification, sedimentation, eutrification, African dust storms and mechanical damage, just to name a few. Caribbean scleractinian corals have declined as much as 90% in many locations. The Caribbean Elkhorn Coral, Acropora palmata and the Caribbean Staghorn Coral, Acropora cervicornis, are the two major reef building corals in the Caribbean. Both of these species are on the IUCN Red list of Endangered Species and both are listed as critically endangered. There is a reproductive bottleneck that is making it increasingly difficult for these corals to reproduce sexually in the wild.  

Resources for Workshop Topics