Monarch Watch at Hackberry Flat Center in Southwestern Oklahoma

Photo by Rhonda Hurst

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Friends of Hackberry Flat will celebrate the migration of monarch butterflies at the Hackberry Flat Center south of Frederick, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 11 from 8-10:30 a.m.. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the amazing monarch butterfly and participate in a conservation effort for these long-distance migrants.

Depending on weather conditions the morning of the event, visitors will be taken to an area in Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area where migrating monarchs spend the night. Monarchs will be collected and taken to the Hackberry Flat Center where they will be tagged. If weather is not conducive for collecting that morning, biologists will collect monarchs prior to the program and have the butterflies at the Center ready to be tagged. A program will be presented on the life history of the monarch butterfly and then the tagged monarchs will be released.  There is no fee for the program, but registration is required.

The Hackberry Flat Center offers amenities for visitors, a meeting facility for events, outdoor classrooms for schoolchildren and programs to help develop outdoor skills. Find more information about the Hackberry Flat Center and Wildlife Management Area including scheduled events here.

Directions to the Hackberry Flat Center: Drive south from the southern edge of the town of Frederick one mile on Hwy 183, then turn east on Airport Road and go three miles.  Follow the blacktop road south, and continue six miles. Watch for Center signs.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact Melynda Hickman at melynda.hickman@odwc.ok.gov or (405) 990-4977.