What Journey North does

Journey North is a citizen science platform founded in 1994 that tracks wildlife migrations and seasonal phenological changes across North America. Operated as a program under the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV), a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt partnership of federal and state agencies, NGOs, businesses, and academic programs, the organization is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin with a team of 12 employees. Its core products are a web-based observation reporting portal (app.journeynorth.org), an interactive migration mapping system (maps.journeynorth.org), and a main public website (journeynorth.org) hosting educational resources, news updates, and species identification guides. The platform serves three primary audiences: citizen scientists and nature enthusiasts who self-report sightings, K-12 educators and students using the platform for classroom curricula, and academic researchers who access the standardized datasets for climate change and migration studies.

The platform collects phenological sighting data — geographic coordinates, photos, behavioral notes, and temporal observations — across 20+ migratory species and seasonal events, including monarch butterflies and milkweed, ruby-throated hummingbirds, Baltimore orioles, American robins, red-winged blackbirds, barn swallows, bald eagles, common loons, tulip test gardens, and ice-out events. Aggregated data is published as nine standardized data packages on the Environmental Data Initiative repository for scientific research use. Journey North is tightly integrated with a network of conservation partners, including the Xerces Society (Western Monarch Count), Monarchs Across Georgia (Symbolic Migration program, now hosted on the Monarch NECTAR Hub), Cornell Lab of Ornithology (hummingbird distribution references), and the Project Monarch trinational research consortium (WWF-Mexico, CONANP, MBBR, Cellular Tracking Technologies, Cape May Point Arts and Science Center). A new mobile-friendly website was launched in January 2026 with refined reporting categories.

Journey North generates no revenue from platform participants; participation is free and open to the public. The organization is funded entirely through charitable contributions and donations, processed through the Monarch Joint Venture's donation portal (secure.qgiv.com/for/communityscience). Its go-to-market is community-led and content-driven: organic search, email newsletters, social media (Instagram, X/Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest), and referral networks through the Monarch Joint Venture partnership ecosystem and K-12 educator communities. Distribution is entirely web-based, self-serve, and global in accessibility, though active reporting is concentrated in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico).

Name

Journey North

Legal name

Journey North

Website

https://journeynorth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Journey North is a nonprofit citizen science platform founded in 1994 that tracks wildlife migrations and seasonal changes across North America through volunteer-reported sightings, operated under the Monarch Joint Venture and supported by charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Citizen Science Platform

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Guided Tours & Interpretive Services (Ranger-Led, Naturalist, Cultural Interpretation) (THAAAGAB)

Keywords

• Citizen science platform
• Wildlife migration tracking
• Phenological data collection
• Migratory species monitoring
• Seasonal change observation

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Journey North is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Donations are the primary funding mechanism, with a dedicated donation portal at secure.qgiv.com/for/communityscience. The organization states 'Your generosity is essential to sustaining Journey North's future.'

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Journey North is a free citizen science platform that enables volunteers across North America to report and explore wildlife sightings of migratory species, including monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, orioles, robins, and other species. The platform combines an observation reporting portal, interactive real-time migration maps, and educational resources to collect and publish phenological data for scientific research and conservation. All content and tools are provided at no cost to participants, with financial support coming from charitable donations to the operating nonprofit.

Product overview

Journey North is a citizen science platform operated by the Monarch Joint Venture that enables volunteers across North America to track wildlife migrations and seasonal phenological changes. The platform consists of the main Journey North website for resources and news, an interactive mapping system (Journey North Maps), and an observation portal for submitting citizen science reports. Core tracking programs include monarch butterfly and milkweed monitoring, hummingbird migration tracking, tulip test gardens for phenology, and various other migratory bird species. Data is made publicly available through the Environmental Data Initiative repository for scientific research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journey North Website The primary citizen science platform for tracking wildlife migrations and seasonal changes across North America, enabling volunteers to report sightings and access educational resources.
• Journey North Maps Interactive mapping system displaying real-time sightings data for monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, orioles, robins, and other migratory species across spring and fall seasons from 1998 to present.
• Journey North Observation Portal Web-based application for submitting and managing citizen science observation reports, including first sightings, general observations, and photo uploads for various migratory species.
• Monarch & Milkweed Tracking Flagship tracking program monitoring monarch butterfly migration, milkweed emergence, and breeding activity across North America, supporting conservation research and climate change studies.
• Hummingbird Migration Tracking Tracking program for Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and other hummingbird species, with dedicated reporting categories for first sightings and general observations throughout North America.
• Other Migratory Species Tracking Additional tracking programs for Baltimore Orioles, American Robins, Common Loons, Bald Eagles, Barn Swallows, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Ice-Out observations documenting seasonal changes.
• Tulip Test Garden Project Educational citizen science project where participants plant tulip gardens to track spring's arrival, with standardized Red Emperor tulip varieties and optional all-other tulip categories for observing seasonal phenology.
• Symbolic Migration Educational exchange program connecting students across North America to learn about monarch migration, coordinated by Monarchs Across Georgia in collaboration with Journey North.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data published in 9 standardized packages on the Environmental Data Initiative repository, supporting peer-reviewed scientific publications on migration and climate change.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Monarch Joint Venture (MJV)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1994Journey North is part of the Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) family. MJV is a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the United States. Journey North operates under MJV's 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status (Federal Tax ID: 83-1343107). The privacy policy is governed by MJV's privacy policy with a supplemental Journey North notice. Data governance and scientific direction are aligned with MJV's research priorities.
• Monarchs Across GeorgiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonarchs Across Georgia is a key partner coordinating the Symbolic Migration project. Estela Romero from Monarchs Across Georgia reports on monarch overwintering conditions from Angangueo, Michoacán, Mexico. Monarchs Across Georgia also provides funding support for Journey North reporting from Mexico. As of 2025, the Symbolic Migration course is hosted on the Monarch NECTAR Hub while Monarchs Across Georgia continues to coordinate the program.
• Environmental Data InitiativecoreTechnology or IntegrationJourney North has published nine standardized data packages on the Environmental Data Initiative repository, a central environmental data repository. These packages include unique identifiers, metadata documentation, and are transparent and publicly accessible for scientific research. The repository provides long-term archival and access to Journey North's citizen science datasets.
• Project Monarch (WWF-Mexico, CONANP, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Cellular Tracking Technologies, Cape May Point Arts and Science Center)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject Monarch is a trinational research and conservation effort including WWF-Mexico, CONANP, and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), led by Cellular Tracking Technologies and the Cape May Point Arts and Science Center. The project uses BlūMorpho transmitters (weighing about as much as a grain of rice) to track individual monarch migrations in real time. The public can follow individual monarchs through the Project Monarch app. Journey North features reports from this project in its news updates.
• The Xerces SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Xerces Society organizes the Western Monarch Count, monitoring western monarch butterfly populations. Data from this program is shared through Journey North's platform. Journey North's overwintering resource page references Western Monarch Count data showing that in 1997, over 1 million monarchs were counted at about 100 sites, while in 2024 numbers dipped below 10,000.
• Cornell Lab of OrnithologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJourney North's North American Hummingbird Distribution resource links to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Bird species profiles for additional range maps and detailed species information for hummingbird species tracked on the Journey North platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology): eBird is the dominant citizen science bird-tracking platform, run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Journey North already partners with Cornell Lab for hummingbird resources and overlaps with eBird in tracking migratory bird species, making it a direct functional peer in bird migration reporting.
• Zooniverse: Zooniverse is the world's largest online citizen science platform, hosting dozens of projects across ecology, astronomy, and humanities. It is comparable to Journey North as a web-based platform that crowdsources scientific data from volunteers.
• Monarch Watch: Monarch Watch is a University of Kansas-based citizen science program that tags and tracks monarch butterflies across North America. It is the most direct functional peer to Journey North's monarch tracking program and competes for the same volunteer and educator audience.
• iNaturalist: iNaturalist is the largest citizen science biodiversity platform, jointly run by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic Society. It directly competes with Journey North for volunteer wildlife sightings, but offers a mobile app, AI species identification, and a global (vs. North American) scope.

Emerging players

• Project BudBurst: Project BudBurst is a citizen science phenology program run by the Chicago Botanic Garden, tracking plant blooming and seasonal changes. It directly mirrors Journey North's tulip test garden and seasonal phenology programs.
• GLOBE Observer (NASA): GLOBE Observer is NASA's citizen science app for environmental data collection, including mosquito habitat and tree height observations. It is a publicly funded comparable platform that competes with Journey North for the educator and student citizen science audience.
• The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation: Xerces is a major invertebrate conservation nonprofit that runs the Western Monarch Count in partnership with Journey North. It overlaps in mission and audience but focuses more on policy and habitat protection than digital citizen science data collection.
• eButterfly: eButterfly is a citizen science platform focused on butterfly sightings, with strong overlap to Journey North's monarch and broader migratory species tracking. It is smaller in scale but offers a more specialized butterfly-focused alternative.

Others

• Monarch Joint Venture: Monarch Joint Venture (MJV) is Journey North's parent organization and the federal-state-NGO partnership that governs it. While not a direct competitor, MJV sets the strategic direction and conservation priorities that shape Journey North's programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Audubon Society: Audubon is a large, established bird conservation organization running the Audubon Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count. It is a broader incumbent in the same conservation citizen science space where Journey North operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/journeynorthorg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@journeynorthchannel
• Facebookfacebook.com/314289124930
• Instagraminstagram.com/journeynorthorg
• Pinterestpinterest.com/journeynorth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journey-north-org

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Journey North