About Us
Meet the Monarch Masters and partner organizations that made Monarchs Matter to what it is today! Learn how you can start a chapter and join the team here.
Monarch Mission
Monarchs Matter is an environmental nonprofit organization based in Long Island, New York dedicated to combating biodiversity loss by sharing the captivating story and metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly.
With the eastern migratory monarch population declining more than 80% in the last three decades due to climate change, pesticide and herbicide use, and habitat loss, we take action by growing milkweed (the sole host plant of monarch butterflies) with spray-free practices and by planting oyamel fir trees (overwintering habitat of monarch butterflies) in Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.
As a youth-led organization, Monarchs Matter believes in the power of young voices and communities to drive positive change. We organize family workshops, coordinate international educational webinars, showcase youth stories on the blog, and host the annual Raise, Tag, and Release (RTR) Summer Program. Through a hands-on, learning-while-doing approach, the RTR Program teaches students the importance of biodiversity and native species—all while they raise and tag monarch butterflies, collect citizen science data, and restore native habitats. By empowering youth through education and action, we are committed to inspiring our next generation of environmental leaders and conservationists.
Join us on our mission to build a sustainable future for monarch butterflies and all wildlife.
❝ Metamorphose our world towards a biodiverse and sustainable future. ❞
Monarch Masters
Youth Leads
_edited_edited.jpg)
Cynthia Zhang
Founder & President
Cynthia is an environmental activist, researcher, and artist driven to fight biodiversity loss by sharing the wonders of the natural world. Her journey began in middle school when she joined the ReWild Summer Program and later became a Co-Chair of the ReWild Social Media Committee. Deeply inspired by ReWild's mission and the transformative experience of tagging and releasing monarch butterflies, she founded Monarchs Matter in 2023 to empower communities to support wildlife and restore native habitats.
Now a junior at Great Neck South High School, Cynthia is committed to engaging youth in environmental stewardship as the President of AREA-C (Animals Rescue & Environmental Awareness Club) and advancing biodiversity and species conservation through her school's research program.
Tiffany Zhang
Secretary
Tiffany is a current freshman at MIT. In the past few years, she has volunteered to help her community, including her mentorship in the ReWild Long Island Summer Program, where she organized and MC’ed the Commendation Ceremony, led volunteers throughout cultivating native gardens, and revamped and maintained the website. She aims to continue her sustainability initiatives with Monarchs Matter.
Maryam Anjum
Faisalabad, Pakistan Chapter Lead
Maryam Anjum is the Faisalabad, Pakistan Chapter Lead for Monarch Matter, focusing on the conservation of the Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly. A final-year Entomology student at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, she combines her academic expertise and field research experience to promote butterfly conservation and sustainable ecosystems. Passionate about biodiversity and environmental sustainability, Maryam is dedicated to raising awareness and driving impactful conservation initiatives in Pakistan. Additionally, Maryam is a member of the Royal Entomology Society and the Pakistan Entomology Society. She is also the founder of VertiBloom , an innovative startup focused on promoting environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation through a closed-loop aquaponic system that uses minimal water to grow fresh produce.
Advisory Board
Raju Rajan
Raju Rajan is a technologist with a strong communitarian ethic. Since obtaining a PhD in Communication Networks at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he has enjoyed a long career as researcher and consultant. His entrepreneurial acumen has led him to found two IT start-ups as well as a number of community groups aimed at organizing people for systemic change. He is one of the founders of ReWild Long Island and currently serves as Board President. An avid gardener and amateur tree-enthusiast, Raju also owns and manages Sharadavanam, a small agroforest farm in Southern India dedicated to rewilding and permaculture.
Kim Keiserman
Kim Keiserman is an education consultant and community activist as well as a candidate for State Senate in New York’s 7th District. In her State Senate campaign, she has offered a 7 for 7 plan: 7 environmental priorities for the 7th District. She is co-president of the Baxter’s Pond Foundation, and in that role, she has accelerated BPF’s efforts to promote biodiversity and support the pond’s ecosystem; led a concerted effort to protect our local waterways from debris, litter, runoff, and chemical waste; offered new opportunities for local environmental education; and worked with other environmental leaders to form a Biodiversity Coalition of like-minded organizations.
Jeremy Pivor
Jeremy Pivor is the Partnerships and Youth Engagement Director at Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs where he manages the True Blue Fellowship and leads partnership development. He has worked for over a decade in Planetary Health, environmental conservation, international climate change diplomacy, and public health around the world. Jeremy received an MS from the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health’s Joint Medical Program.
Kasey Gaylord-Opalewski
As the Associate Director of Programs, Kasey oversees the work EarthEcho International does with teachers and educators, providing the best tools and resources for the young people they work with every day. “We strive to increase ocean and climate literacy to help us fulfill our mission of building a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet.”
Kathy Coley
Kathy is a retired college administrator at Farmingdale State College, experienced copy editor, and lifelong gardener. She has been a ReWild Long Island Board member since 2020 and helps to organize weekly sessions at the ReWild Dodge Garden, bringing youth rewilders and community volunteers together in hands-on sustainable gardening efforts.
Peggy Maslow
Peggy Maslow is a long-time member of the North Shore Audubon Society, where she has served as a past president and a current board member. As the head of the education committee, she visits people’s yards to certify as a bird-friendly habitat. In addition to her work in Audubon, she volunteers at the Science Museum of Long Island, leading efforts to create and maintain native gardens while educating youth.
Gloria Frazee
Gloria Frazee is secretary of the East Hampton Energy & Sustainability Committee, a dedicated volunteer and board member of ReWild Long Island, and the founder of East Hampton Compost. She believes that there’s so much to learn from the web of life, from our soils and shores to pollinators and people: “More fully understanding the connections allows us to more mindfully participate in the magic that sustains us. I’m grateful to all the ReWild Summer Program interns and mentors and leaders who are such inspiring teachers.”
Francesca Zahner
Francesca Maselli Zahner discovered ReWild Port Washington several years ago and quickly learned the importance of native gardening through ReWild's website and home garden tours, which showcase the diversity and inherent beauty of this environmentally relevant gardening approach. She has been inspired to convert her lawn and gardens one section at a time and over two seasons has added more than 30 species and 100 native plants. Her property is now merrily buzzing with a diverse array of insects, birds and butterflies and has been certified by The North Shore Audubon Society as a “Bird Friendly Habitat”. She is thrilled to be a part of this progressive environmental organization where she continues to expand on her knowledge and the importance of restoring our ecosystems through native gardening.
Partners
Monarchs Matter is proud and grateful to collaborate with the following 17 organizations and nonprofits towards a biodiverse and sustainable community. Thank you to our sponsors and supporters for the dedication and commitment to the preservation of our monarchs and wildlife.
.jpg)
.png)