Miles for Monarchs

The Monarch Joint Venture is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect monarchs and their migration by collaborating with partners to deliver habitat conservation, education, and science across the monarch range.
 

More information can be found on the MJV website.

Your registration and donation support MJV's work to conserve the monarch butterfly, its migration, and other pollinators. Donations support our habitat conservation, science, education, and partnership programming.

With questions regarding Miles for Monarchs, you can contact our Outreach Coordinator at outreach@monarchjointventure.org.

Participants of Miles for Monarchs gain access to weekly monarch educational material, the Miles for Monarchs Facebook group page where you can share personal and team progress, entry into the weekly miles prize giveaway and competition, and access to discounted Monarch Joint Venture store merchandise. Participants are also given the opportunity to share with other participants from around the U.S. and Canada, participate in various engagement opportunities, and learn about monarchs and conservation.

The course outline is as follows (each week also includes a fun activity for kids):

Week 1: Monarch biology, lifecycle, and threats to monarchs

Week 2: Annual lifecycle and migration

Week 3: Monarch community science

Week 4: Monarch-friendly habitat

Week 5: Conservation status

Details on the competition and giveaway: 

Must submit miles weekly for eligibility. Two random participants will be chosen weekly to receive a miles sticker pack and bookmarks. At the of the campaign, the top 5 people with the most tracked miles will win the competition. They will each be sent a miles sticker pack and a Milkweed, Monarchs, and More book. 

To create a team, a designated team leader must register first and create your team name. Once your team leader has successfully registered, the rest of your team may register separately. 

Yes! New additions throughout the year are welcome. If you have a new team member, simply have that participant register. When prompted during registration, they should choose your team name. Upon completion of registration, they will automatically be added to your team. 

Walk, run, roll, bike, paddle, swim, anything self-propelled. All miles are good, whether on a treadmill, in your snow shoes, or on a local bike trail. Log your miles in the portal and receive weekly progress on how far you've gone. 

Learn more in the 2025 Miles for Monarchs Participant Packet. 

Miles for Monarchs is available wherever you are! Teams, additionally, do not need to be in the same location! This may be a fun opportunity for those separated by geography to participate in an event together.

Monarch Joint Venture strives to make Miles for Monarchs an inclusive and enjoyable experience. If you use a mobility device, you can still track the distance you travel, whether self-propelled or motorized. If you have questions or need further accommodations, please reach out to our Outreach Coordinator at outreach@monarchjointventure.org.

Calculate your miles traveled, even when you're not covering a specific distance or don’t have a step counter. 

1.) Find the activity you did from the list below. If your activity is not listed, choose one that is most similar to it. 

2.) See how much time you spent doing that activity. 

3.) Use the simple time-to-miles guide to figure out how many miles you earned. For example, if you walked for 40 minutes, you would log 2 miles because walking 20 minutes equals 1 mile.

4.) Log your miles 

Activities 

-Biking for 5 minutes = 1 mile

-Running for 10 minutes = 1 mile

-Hiking for 15 minutes = 1 mile

-Dancing for 20 minutes = 1 mile

-Walking for 20 minutes = 1 mile

-Light aerobics for 20 minutes = 1 mile

-Gardening for 30 minutes = 1 mile

-Yoga for 30 minutes = 1 mile

-Swimming for 30 minutes = 1 mile

If you did more time, just count more miles. For example:

-If you biked for 20 minutes, that’s 4 miles (because 5 minutes = 1 mile)

-If you danced for 40 minutes, that’s 2 miles

Yes! When you post, follow and tag the @MonarchJointVenture and use the hashtags #milesformonarchs and #monarchjointventure. 
 

Here are links to images you can use to promote Miles for Monarchs are social media: 

Facebook Post Photos
Facebook Cover Photos
Instagram Post Photos

Absolutely! Pledging to match dollars for miles is a fantastic way to support monarch conservation and get involved with your community. You can check out the pledge tiers and benefits here: Miles for Monarchs Corporate Pledges. Please contact Rita Morris at outreach@monarchjointventure.org if you are interested or have any questions.