Symbolic Butterfly Migration Update: December 3, 2004
The Journey South is Complete!
Your Symbolic Butterflies have arrived in Angangueo, Michoacan, Mexico where they will be resting comfortably, just as the real Monarchs are resting now too. They will be well-cared for in Mexico until their journey north in Spring 2005.
Learn who's caring for the butterflies while they are in Mexico this winter.
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Rocio
and Students in Northern Mexico(...More) |
Students
in the Sanctuary-Area Schools |
Visitors
at the Monarch Sanctuary Exhibits. |
How Long Did it Take? Discussion of Mike's CQ #1
Just before he drove away from the Journey North office with your Butterflies, UPS driver Mike asked you, "Exactly how many days, hours and minutes do you think it will take the butterflies to reach Angangueo, Mexico?" We provided some clues for you too.
We eagerly awaited the news and have received word from Estela, one of our contacts in Angangueo that the Symbolic Butterflies arrived.
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Thanks to all the classrooms (i.e. Student Travel Agents) that charted the butterflies' itinerary and submitted estimates! We estimated there were about 48,200.
Pencils Were Sharpened for CQ #2
We also challenged you with more Monarch Math, when we asked you to estimate: "How many Symbolic Butterflies do you think are flying to Mexico this year?"
Because we have been knee-deep in your butterflies during the past weeks, we were able to make an estimate for Symbolic Butterflies flying to Mexico. We estimated there were about 48,200.
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How close was your estimate?
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Ms. Cargas's Science Classes at Pequea Elementary School in Willow Street, PA had a great idea! They rounded the numbers to make an estimate:
"We think about 44,000 symbolic butterflies are migrating to Mexico this year. We used estimation to come up with this answer. First we rounded the number of butterflies in the 14.75 pound box to 2000. Then we used this number while looking at the other box weights to come up with our total." -
Southeast Intermediate School in Ravenna, Ohio used a different approach.
"We rounded the packages to the nearest whole pound and then divided 15 pounds into 2,225 (the figure you gave us) to find out how many butterflies were in one pound. We found out there were 148 butterflies in one pound and that there were about 306 pounds in the packages so there were about 45,288 butterflies sent."
Great thinking, you're on the right track!
What's
the Real and Final Butterfly Count?
After we prepared our estimates and shipped out the butterflies,
a few straggler envelopes showed up at the Journey North headquarters
(envelopes that had been mailed before the deadline but delayed).
We've now added those stragglers to the mix, and here are the final
counts:
Total Butterflies Sent In: 48,317
Total Schools Sending Butterflies: 1,035
Total Number of Envelopes: 2,225
BIG thanks to all the students, teachers, individuals, clubs and associations from across the U.S. and Canada for their many contributions and generous support of the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation.
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Of the 1,035 schools who participated in the Symbolic Migration, 52% sent contributions for conservation efforts in Mexico! A total of $10,970 (U.S. dollars) was contributed during this fall's Symbolic Monarch Migration for conservation work in Mexico!
Since we sent 48,317 monarchs to Mexico along with $10,970 for conservation work, we did some math. Picture this: Each little paper ambassador symbolically carried with it a 22¢ contribution on their journey south!
Thanks to the following people......y Gracias de las mariposas monarcas!
Life in the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Region of Mexico
We have a sampling of stories and pictures to share of people who live in the monarch sanctuary region. Recorded in both Spanish and English, these stories portray the personal side of monarch conservation, as seen through the eyes of the children and families who live in the region. While these people are some of the poorest in our hemisphere, much of the responsibility for monarch conservation falls on their shoulders.
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