Alumni Profile: Ron Allensen

Ron Allensen
 

Ron Allensen (BSc '77) is the founder of "Monarch Landing", a nursery, arboretum and nature reserve he named after discovering tens of thousands of migrating monarch butterflies. For nearly 20 years, Ron has hosted three days in September when these butterflies are tagged and recorded during their migration to Mexico.

As a talented naturalist and plantsman, Ron works with NGO's and private individuals on restoration and natural plantings. He is an accomplished lepidopterist and continues to conduct his own research on the biology and lifecycle of both the giant and regionally rare, Pipevine Swallowtails.

Recently, Ron established the Monarch Landing Foundation to foster eco-tourism around monarch butterflies and encourage lakeshore stewardship, with the goal of having the Foundation lands, which currently holds the county of Elgin record for housing over 70 species of butterflies, preserved as a nature reserve and research location.