Message from Angangueo November 9, 2005 Friends from Journey South: Several things to comment today. First, last 3rd of November, the Papalotzin, a light plane painted as a Monarch Butterfly, came with the Ambassadors and Governors visiting us at "El Llano de las Papas". As I told you, this event strenghtened our friendship with your country and Canada because of the Monarch Butterfly. As far as I know, part of the result of all this was that one of our preserving Institutions, --Semarnat--, will install a kind of Police called "Policía Forestal", so as to guarantee the preservation of the Sanctuaries. This news I got from the TV yesterday, and they did not say if this guard will be permanent or not. Today, again on TV, I was astonished to know about the logging of a very important area called "Bosencheve". I know this area well, because in former years, when I was studying in Mexico City, and I was on the road coming home or back to the city, I could appreciate part of this area from the road. This area is belonging to the State of México and is located at a Municipality called Villa de Allende, between Zitácuaro City and Toluca City. The news did not give any additional information, they only said that it was total devastation. Very, very sad. One cannot but lament. We don´t know what we are doing. Over here, in Angangueo, my mother was told by a friend of hers, that there is a group of women here in town, who are given a small payment by Semarnat, the Institution in charge of regulating "Nature matters," and who are acting as guards looking after small forest areas. This woman said that the idea is that the group becomes bigger and bigger; any woman can participate on it. We, in my family believe, a reason why this was initiated, is because women cannot be so easily injured in case of confrontation, and because we are very brave about such things. I will investigate about this more, and I will tell you next week. I think it is good that that individual responsibility is awakening so that later, the whole society becomes conscious of the serious consequences this will bring in the future. On the other side, in the south of our country, hundreds of schools are starting to be reconstructed after hurricanes Stan and Wilma. Teachers and parents are all cooperating on this. The images on TV are really moving. Our government has of course destined budget for it, but it is hard to imagine the inestability and social impact this represents in terms continuity in education, motivation, education quality and so on in our Mexican children and families. This is all for today. I send you warm greetings . María Estela. Copyright 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form.