Contest to fund solutions for Monarch Butterfly Migration

A monarch butterfly sits on a plant shortly after being tagged and released in Navarre, Florida this fall. Devon Ravine Associated Press file, 2017 from the Tacoma Tribune article NOVEMBER 15, 2017

Union Club Tacoma will be periodically sending emails to our community highlighting the achievements and projects of our members. We are excited to introduce our community to the Monarch Butterfly Flight Challenge.

For the past few years, Eli Moreno of Union Club and SURGETacoma has served on the Board of Directors of the Monarch Butterfly Fund, and he wanted to share with us an exciting new project.

In recent years we have witnessed the decline of Monarchs reaching the overwinter sites in Mexico from Canada and the United States, and we have very little information about their flight patterns or what they need to survive on their long yearly migrations over several thousand miles.

That’s where you come in. He is launching a challenge to the public and we need your help to incentivize designers engineers and science enthusiast to design and create a new, technologically-advance tagging and tracking system for Monarch butterflies.

We will award $50,000 to whoever can create the first prototype. Eli and his wife Amber are putting half of the prize money and with your help we can help scientists gain valuable information about the Monarch’s extraordinary migration before is too late.

Click here for more information.
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Read the Tacoma Tribune article on the challenge here.

City Launches New Site to Attract and Grow Business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 13, 2017

City of Tacoma Launches New Site to Attract and Grow Business – MakeItTacoma.com Offers Real-Time Research and Modern Look to Tell Tacoma’s Story–

With a new online presence that caters to the needs of today’s businesses seeking to establish or grow in Tacoma, Wash., the City of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development Department has issued this call to action: Make it Tacoma.

“Tacoma is extremely well-positioned for growth,” said Mayor Marilyn Strickland. “Economic development activity and private investment are at an all-time high with several new projects on the horizon. MakeItTacoma.com helps us showcase Tacoma’s assets and tell our story in a more dynamic way.”

The streamlined freestanding microsite is mobile-friendly and offers access to the latest business intelligence tools.

As site selectors or prospective investors assess possible locations, they are able to obtain robust, high-quality zip code level Tacoma-specific data on more than a thousand variables.

Existing or prospective business owners and entrepreneurs are able to obtain Tacoma-specific data showing what percentage of businesses they outperform in their given industry on revenue, size, salaries and other metrics. They are also able to see where the typical business owner in their given industry is doing best in Tacoma, as they consider expanding into a new location or where to target their next marketing campaign.

“The City of Tacoma has always provided a high level of in-person business support and will continue to do so,” said Community and Economic Development Director Ricardo Noguera. “With our improved online offerings, the business community we serve will now have incredible access to data and other market insights, as well as other pieces of information they need to make smart, informed decisions.”

Visitors also have easy access to industry-specific how-to guides, video profiles and more, and are able to sign up for economic development related news updates and other communications from the City of Tacoma.

More information on economic development efforts that have been planned or are underway in Tacoma can be obtained through Community and Economic Development Director Ricardo Noguera at rnoguera@cityoftacoma.orgor (253) 591-5139.