FINAL Monarch Butterfly Migration Update: November 1, 2001 Today's Report Includes: Now Crossing the Narrow Finish Line Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack? Discussion of CQ #12 Try This! Make a Map to Scale Bags Packed for Mexico! A Farewell Note from Journey North's Director Finding Good Homes for Your Symbolic Monarchs Symbolic Monarchs to Land in the Sanctuaries On Sabbatical in Angangueo Now Crossing the Narrow Finish Line The migration to Mexico is now coming to an end. Imagine a marathon, with monarchs crossing the finish line each day by the thousands. The Finish Line The Mountains of Mexico's Transvolcanic Belt. This winter, the entire eastern population of monarch butterflies will cluster together on only 10-12 volcanic mountains in Mexico. They'll form large colonies estimated to contain tens of millions of individual butterflies. Typically, some 80% of the butterflies will concentrate in only four colonies! The monarchs find these mountaintops each year as if by magic. Amazingly, the "finish line" they must hit is very, very narrow---only 1.1 degrees wide in longitude. Find it on this map: The western-most end is the colony named Mil Cumbres (-100.8 W) and the eastern-most side is the Nevado de Toluca (-99.7 W), where the Palamas, Pierra Merrada and Oxtotilpan colonies are found. This means that, assuming that monarchs cannot "home" and correct the consequences of a miss, those migrants flying in from the north must strike the Transvolcanic Belt somewhere within a 73 mile-wide window to find the overwintering sites! Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack? Discussion of Challenge Question #12 The area in red measures over 9 million square kilometers. In our October 18 update we explained that, when the monarchs find the sanctuary region, they are finding an area that is 11,000 times smaller than the area the migration crosses. To put this in perspective, Challenge Question #12 asked you to find something that is 11,000 times smaller than the area of a standard football field. Here's our math: A standard football field measures 120 yds X 53.5 yds 120 yds X 53.5 yds = 6,420 square yards 6,420 yds X 3 ft/yd = 19,260 square feet 19,260 square feet divided by 11,000 = 1.75 square feet An area of 1.75 square feet is not much bigger than a piece of paper. (If someone chose an invisible area that small on a football field, do you think that you could find it?) That may not seem so incredibly small until you look more closely at the sanctuary region. The map above shows how spread out the colonies are within the region. Try This! Make a Map to Scale Print a copy of the map of the sanctuary region. Use the scale bar to measure the distances between each of the colonies. Now use a map of your state or province. Draw the sanctuary region to scale on top of your map. Then plot the 12 colonies on the same map. Place your home town were Angangueo is centered. How far away are each of the sanctuaries from your home town? Bags Packed for Mexico! A Farewell Note from Journey North's Director With daughter Adrienne who speaks much better Spanish than her mother. As the migration draws to a close each fall, I step out from behind the computer screen, pack my bags, and follow the migration trail myself, all the way to Mexico. The camera and recorder are packed, ready to record sights and sounds in the monarchs' mountain refuge. Although you won't hear from us during the weeks ahead, we'll be busy arranging ways to "take you along" when Journey North begins again next February. Here are the plans we'll be putting into place: Finding Good Homes for Your Symbolic Monarchs The highlight of the trip will be delivering your monarchs to the mountain schools surrounding the sanctuaries. Each child will choose a butterfly and find the hometown of their new friend on a map of North America. (We'll take pictures!) If YOUR symbolic monarch should land in Angangueo, sometime this winter you may receive a "winter note" directly from Mexico. We'll end the visit on Friday, Nov. 16th when participating teachers gather for an evening of fun and friendship. We've planned a surprise screening of the IMAX film "Amazing Journeys" which features the monarch migration--and shows children from the Angangueo school, Issac Arriaga, visiting the sanctuary. Several copies will be left at the community library, so that the people of Angangueo, as well as the children featured, will be able to see it for the first time. For this community, it's important to see the monarch portrayed among nature's greatest migrations; this will help build pride in the world treasure they have in their own backyard, and are responsible for protecting. Special thanks to: Katherine Tsai Kim of Panama who translated the 25 page script into Spanish. The Houston Museum of Natural Science who donated VHS copies of the film to the community. Symbolic Monarchs to Land in the Sanctuaries Again this year, we'll set up exhibits at the two largest monarch sanctuaries, Sierra Chincua and El Rosario, where visiting tourists will be invited to "tag a symbolic monarch." In the backdrop will hang Mexican, Canadian and American flags and a huge banner proclaiming, "Migración simbólica: Uniendo a los ninos de norteamérica." If YOUR symbolic monarch is tagged at the exhibit, you may receive a winter note from a tourist sometime this winter. Children at Escuela Cerro Prieto enjoyed seeing themselves pictured in the huge Symbolic Migration banner. This is now on display at the El Rosario sanctuary Symbolic Migration exhibit. On Sabbatical in Angangueo After 20 years in the classroom, Minnesota 4th grade teacher Dave Kust, along with his three children and adventuresome wife, are on sabbatical this year in the sanctuary region. The Kusts arrived last week just as butterflies were swarming the skies. Tonight and tomorrow they'll look on as the local people observe El Dia de Los Muertos (The Day of the Dead). "We have already seen the butterflies in large numbers just up the hill from town," writes Dave. "Daughter Ellie had her picture taken with a group of kindergardeners parading through town today in costume...Someday I may figure out how to send it to you! The kids start school on Monday..." Dave has arranged to rent the Romero family's house in the center of town. Its splendid colonial architecture has a central courtyard with a view of the surrounding mountains. Sun streams in during the warm days, and cold breezes blow down from the mountains at night. Dave has promised to share his experiences with all of us as part of our Spring, 2002 updates. Watch for his stories in a column we'll call, "On Sabbatical in Angangueo." Thank you for helping to track the monarchs on their spectacular trip to Mexico. We'll see you again in February and be ready to track the monarch's journey north when the long, cold winter comes to a close. Hasta febrero, Elizabeth Howard This is the FINAL Monarch Butterfly Migration Update Until February 6, 2002. Copyright 2001 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form