Hello, my name is Kym Martin, and I’m a Chattanooga area native. I inherited my love of monarch butterflies and gardening from my grandfather. When I would visit, he always showed off his latest plants and told me about the monarchs that visited him every year. I have continued his legacy of nurturing native plants and butterflies and when he passed, I named my greenhouse “Charlie” after him. Everything good that comes out of the greenhouse comes from him. As part of that legacy, I have been responsibly supporting monarch butterfly conservation for over 6 years with efforts in education, habitat support and restoration, community science, and tagging and tracking monarch migrations.
My goal is to establish a monarch conservation organization in Chattanooga. My mission is Conservation, Education, and my Passion for these Magical Little Creatures called Monarchs.
My search for education led me to the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County. I became a Master Gardener in 2022. I’m heavily involved in the program and I served on the Board of Directors as a Secretary in 2023, as well as being a member of the educational Grow Team for the Master Gardener Intern Classes. I also sponsor and manage a Magical Monarch booth in the annual Master Gardener events.
In addition to the Master Gardeners of Hamilton County, I’m also highly active in multiple other nature and conservation clubs in the Chattanooga area. I serve as the Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association and I have recently designed and programmed their website.
I’m a member of the Tennessee Valley Wild Ones where I’m taking classes to earn my Certificate in Native Plants. I’m also serving on the Wild for Monarchs Committee which is sponsored by a grant from the Monarch Joint Venture. This year I will be working on my Pollinator Steward Certification through the Pollinator Partnership. Another one of my endeavors is participating in multiple community science projects researching monarch health and conservation.
Monarchs are not my only passion. I’m also devoted to my husband and four dogs, and we enjoy spending time together in the backyard gazing at the butterfly garden and watching for new little visitors. Another thing about me is I’m an avid Harry Potter fan and I’m planning a trip to London for a chance to see the magical sights. When I’m not spending time working on habitat restoration, I design and program websites as well as holding down a full-time job as a Software Architect at The Company That Shall Not Be Named.