Estela RomeroJanuary 16, 2019

"Octavio Paz" middle school

Estela RomeroJanuary 16, 2019

SCHOOL VISIT.-

It is particularly important for the Symbolic Migration to visit schools located at villages which natural reserve, —specially Oyamel tree nucleous— are closer to the core and buffer area to either of the Sanctuaries. The visit to the “Palo Amarillo” village, located at an average of only 5 kilometers from the core area to the “Sierra Chincua” Sanctuary, on the side of the State of México, bordering land areas and Oyamel forests to Michoacán state at the “Octavio Paz” middle school today, assures that youngsters now to the families living in the village and future owners and Ejidatarios to their agricultural land and forest areas are aware of the importance of the habitat conservation and the equilibrium of our own ecosystem. Located at an altitude of about 3,000 —three thousand meters—, and being rather very cold, youngsters —either girls or boys—, are actively involved in the agricultural and forest activities with their parents learning on their own ancestral techniques, culture and traditions from generation to generation. Learning about the treasure our Oyamel forests represent and on the several species of the main pollinators we have in our region, has brought to them real news to their lives. “We have no access to internet, so we did not know about the world-wide emergency call to bee’s survival”, —one or two said here and there in the classroom while our presentation got started—. “our elementary level books contain the topic on pollinators, however we did not quite know or did not remember that these pollinator insects were vital for providing grains, fruits and vegetable to our daily diet”, —others said— . “Many families in our communities now are getting started with some vegetable gardens; we wonder whether they know about the main 5 pollinators being vital for our agricultural and also vital for our delicious mushrooms in the forest and our pear, apple, plum, capulines and tejocotes-trees, which are our only fruits due to our cold climate”. “We could not live without such delicious foods!”, —a few other said—; “we only have a few fruits and vegetables and corn and potatos and wheat, due to our mostly chilly weather, but we have many other things in our forests like mushrooms and medicine herbs and we did not know about wild flowers being much more important for pollinatiors than the ornamental flowers Mom has at home", “wow!, to think that the millions and millions of Monarchs in our Oyamel forests now are contributing to pollination is wonderful !, —one bright girl said—. Recognizing with them the wonderful, ancestral names for our own wild flowers in meadows, praries and in our forests, was simply breathtaking as their own teachers were also participating and learning some more facts about Monarch butterflies as pollinators too!!!.