At "Cerro Pelón" Sanctuary!
SCHOOL VISIT.-
Dear friends, the Symbolic Migration Project comes to the children living and attending schools surrounding the “Cerro Pelón” Sanctuary!. This Sanctuary was the first discovered in the 70’s, before the other two were discovered soon after in the 80’s. What do caterpillars in our main portrait image here mean???. YES!, Asclepia Curassavica grows at the location, since the elevation here is, in average, one thousand meters lower than in the other two Sanctuaries, and by that, warmer weather make it really different here (25 Centrigrades with bright sun today)!. Monarchs have been seen mating in this Sanctuary as early as in late November and December, so now, children and their families living in this locations, like “Macheros” and “El Capulín”, —at whose yards either at home and at their schools, Curassavica grows wild—, are really familiar with seeing a very early stage of Monarchs life-cycle here, —so far only eggs and young caterpillars; later puppaeing, and some Monarchs eclosing shall happen, something our children and families living around the other two Sanctuaries, “El Rosario” and “Sierra Chincua”, —much higher and colder—, where no one single asclepia should grow, have never, never seen in their lives being only 45 kilometers away from here!. The flora and fauna in the location vary visibly from one elevation to the other, due of course, to the difference in weather conditons !!!. Well dear friends, as soon as we arrived to Elementary “Vicente Guerrero” today, students welcomed the Symbolic Migration waving their hands with real excitment!. Break time started right after and that is how we opened our day exploring around the school garden, confirming how eggs laid all over and caterpillars growing, start to be seen here and there, and children very proud and knowledgeable showed me around being nearly scientists at their knowledge on Monarchs, since them, their parents and grandparents and else forefathers grew up with this!. It was luch time, and it was incredible to see moms bringing luch to their children sitting beside them under a tree shade, showing how the family links in our small communities is really strong and teachers consider this a very important time and sharing for the development of our children, according to our local cultures’s customs and traditions. Enjoying potatos or beans or meat- filled “tacos” for lunch, foot-ball and “trompo” game and tree-nursering, filled breaktime for children at the school today. Once at the classroom, our topic came directly; we agreed that all around Monarchs sounds and seems wonderful and beatiful, but, that in order to keep it this way and even better, we shall be aware of the responsibilities on conservation this implies, so that our ecosystem do not suffer into the immediate, mid-term and long-term future, any losses, as we have already suffered in the last decades. On the big colorful poster they could recognize some of the pollinator species that their Northamerican counterparts are working hard on rescuing.while at the same time, they could see on each flash card the many plant and animal species that we can consider either extinct, endangered or at least threatened, which since far, far back in the past, should have shared habitat with Monarchs butterflies while overwintering here with us. Playing the web of life game let them see how every single tiny wild plant, flower, or insect are determinant to keep our planet’s equilibrium of life; most of them raised their hands to tell anecdotes with animals either at home or in the forest with their families, as well as old stories passed on from generation to generation, where an animal was an important part of the story. Most of these children’s families nowadays make a much better living since Monarchs were discovered at this Sanctuary; reforestation, guarding their forests and its flora and fauna treasure, and by this, reinforcing green tourism most of the year has set a totally different future for this children and their families, thanks to Monarchs bringing a whole different view of their life in their own location. Children wrote and decorated their letters sharing their concern on our local threatened species but were happy to hear we are on time to rescue and conserve, and received their Symbolic Monarchs and their donated books with great excitment and commitment to care much more after their local ecosystem.
AMBASSADOR MONARCHS RECEIVED HERE
Crest Memorial School, Wildwood Crest, New Jersey
Covenant Day School, Matthews, North Carolina
Southern Door County School District, Brussels, Wisconsin
Sewickley Academy, Sewickley, Pennsylvania
James Bonham Academy, San Antonio, Texas
Arongen Elementary, Clifton Park, New York
Eminence Elementary, Eminence, Kentucky
LaSalle II Magnet School, Chicago, Illinois
Covenant Day School, Matthews, North Carolina
James R Watson Elementary School, Auburn, Indiana
Garden Oaks Montessori, Houston, Texas
Union Elementary STEM, Gallatin, Tennessee
Longfellow Elemntary School, Oak Park, Illinois
Liverpool Middle School, Liverpool, New York
Longfellow Elemntary School, Oak Park, Illinois
Boulevard Elementary School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Bixby School, Boulder, Colorado
Covenant Day School, Matthews, North Carolina
Union Elementary STEM, Gallatin, Tennessee
Mount Gallant Elementary School, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Lamar Elementary, San Antonio, Texas
Piney Point Elementary, Houston, Texas
Greendale High School-Buddy Club, Greendale, Wisconsin
Saint Michael School, Independence, Ohio
Park City Day School, Park City, Utah
Parkway Elementary, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Kent Place School, Summit, New Jersey
Saint Vrain School District, Longmont, Colorado
Williams Elementary School, Austin, Texas
Greenfield Elementary School, Troutville, Virginia
Lamar Elementary, San Antonio, Texas
Haine Middle School, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
Galindo Elementary, Austin, Texas
Williams Elementary, Austin, Texas
Union Elementary STEM, Gallatin, Tennessee
Elisabeth Morrow School, Englewood, New Jersey
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Advent School, Boston, Massachusetts
Galindo Elementary, Austin, Texas
Elisabeth Morrow School, Englewood, New Jersey
Saint Elmo Elementary School, Austin, Texas
Lamar Elementary, San Antonio, Texas
Troutville Elementary, Troutville , Virginia
Elisabeth Morrow School, Englewood, New Jersey
Kay Franklin Elementary School, San Antonio, Texas
Saint Elmo Elementary School, Austin, Texas
Union Elementary STEM, Gallatin, Tennessee
Torringford School, Torrington, Connecticut
Saint Elmo Elementary School, Austin, Texas
Union Elementary STEM, Gallatin, Tennessee
Covenant Day School, Matthews, North Carolina
Reeds Road Elementary, Galloway, New Jersey