SIRE completes monarch habitat expansion

by | Jun 15, 2020 | 5 Ag Stories, News

A western Iowa ethanol plant recently finished up an expansion to its monarch habitat project.

The Monarch Fueling Station at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy ? south of Council Bluffs ? has grown from its original seven acres to 20 acres. The project was started in 2018. SIRE CEO Mike Jerke told KMA Radio that the company was excited to get on board with the project when they were approached by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.

“They hit on what I think is a great opportunity for the ethanol industry to utilize the ground that we have that is not serving a purpose, it’s just part of the overall footprint of the plant,” said Jerke. “We can turn that into something that is supportive, specifically for monarch habitat, and lifting the need for that habitat to be established.”

IRFA in partnership with the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium first established these types of projects to support monarch butterflies back in December 2017. Jerke says the habitat at SIRE sits just south of the production facility inside the company?s loop railroad track in an area that would otherwise be grass.

“That loop track sits on over 100 acres of ground,” said Jerke. “We’ve found — initially a smaller amount and now recently we’ve expanded it to 20 acres — that really fits this program. We’ve got a nice sign that sits out front there and calls attention to the fact that we have a monarch habitat project going on there.”

IRFA Communications Director Cassidy Walter says most of the growth at the Council Bluffs location will not be seen for a few years.

“These projects take a few years to really become established,” said Walter. “In your first year after you plant, you’re going to see a little bit of growth. It takes two or three years to really look the way you expect it to look. We really only have a couple of projects that maybe this year is going to be the first year we’re hoping to get some really cool pictures and see what we think a Monarch habitat would look like. It really does take a little bit of time, because those plants are developing that root system underground.”

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide by December if the monarch butterfly should be listed under the Endangered Species Act.