An East Northport teen with a love of monarch butterflies is taking steps to combat the pollinators’ declining population.

Abby Taft, a junior at Elwood-John H. Glenn High School , recently spearheaded the creation of a native milkweed garden at the 32-acre Wawapek Preserve in Cold Spring Harbor . Taft also hosted a series of lectures to educate community members on the butterflies’ struggles and the importance of conservation efforts.

Taft, a Girl Scout, tackled the project in pursuit of her Gold Award, the highest achievement attainable within the Girl Scouts of the USA. She is a member of Troop 2597.

“I just always thought they were very beautiful,” Taft said of monarch butterflies. “When I was young, I found a monarch caterpillar in my garden and I took it and raised it, and I g

See Full Page