A monarch butterfly waystation has been installed on the University of Utah’s campus—an initiative of a group of recent alumni.

The non-profit Bloom Collective was started last year by Eron Powell, Jeremiah Tuchyner and McKay Muhlestein, all of whom have graduated from the U in the past two years. The goal of their nonprofit is to boost public health by increasing walkability in Utah, connecting to cultural heritage, and rewilding. Through the support of the U’s Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund, the group received over $3,000 in grant money to create a monarch butterfly waystation on the U’s main campus.

The waystation is a 32-by-32-foot parcel of land south of the Union Building that has now been rewilded with multiple species of milkweed and supplemental plants to support other pollinators, as well as the monarchs. With support from Friends of Monarchs Utah and other community members, all plants in the waystation were donated.

“For me, the best part of this project was looking at the plot of land and feeling like I was having a lasting impact on campus,” said Powell. “Having just graduated, leaving the university felt like leaving home. I want to leave my home better than I found it, and the waystation is a physical reminder that I, my friends, and other students were able to do just that.”

Most of the waystation plants have already been planted with plans to add a few more, once the rarer plants are acquired.

In addition to regular activism and community work, the Bloom Collective hosts weekly meetings and monthly city walks. For more information contact bloomcollectiveutah@gmail.com.