School is now in session but there are always events to attend year-round at Springbrook State Park in Guthrie County.

There are several events scheduled in the next few months at Springbrook, starting with an evening kayaking session from 5:30-7:30 p.m. this Friday. Newcomers are welcome as the program will include instruction and kayaks and lifejackets will be provided. This Saturday residents of all ages are invited to “Flit, Flap, Buzz” with Iowa Department of Natural Resources Training Specialist Anne Riordan. The program will focus on monarchs, other pollinators and the plants they love. Riordan says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently has until the end of 2020 to determine whether the monarch butterfly warrants Endangered Species Act protection, as causes including habitat loss have threatened the species, “Their population has decreased by over 80% in the last 20 years and so there’s the possibility that they could become endangered quite easily or possibly even become extinct in our lifetime. This is a species where we are going to see a difference in our lifetimes whether or not that population increases or continues to decrease.”

Anyone can help monarch populations by planting milkweed and nectar plants that are native to your area. Riordan will speak more about this Saturday, and participants will have the opportunity to tag some monarchs and catch other butterflies. The event will take place from 10 a.m.-noon and attendees will meet at the campground gazebo. For more information on these and other free events happening at Springbrook, contact Riordan at 641-295-6028 or anne.riordan@dnr.iowa.gov.