Symbolic
Butterfly Migration Update: December 9, 2005
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
2006.
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)
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Visitors
at the
Monarch Sanctuary Exhibits.
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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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The
Symbolic Butterflies were delivered to Angangueo on
November 29, 2005 at 12:30 PM CST. They were traveling
(migrating?!) for 6 days, 19 hours and 32 minutes.
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Anyone remember
how long it took LAST YEAR? Six days, 21 hours and 41 minutes.
How
Many Migrated to Mexico? CQ #2
Life is full of situations where we use math to solve problems.
How many butterflies did we send to Mexico in our paper
boxes? We gave you some numbers and challenged you to some
Monarch
Math.
"How
many Symbolic Butterflies do you think are flying to Mexico
this year?" Here
at the headquarters we estimated there were about 48,100.
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We estimated there
were about 48,100.
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At Agape Academy in Cedar
Hill, TN, Mr. Markle’s
class shared their answer and how
they solved it:
The total number of pounds is 337.
When divided by 18 you get 18.7 When
18.722222 is multiplied by 2569
we got 48,097.3
butterflies.”
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Mrs. Trompler’s Fifth
graders at Remington Elementary School in Tulsa, OK sharpened
their
pencils and dug
in to solve the problem. They wrote:
” We think there are 48,089 symbolic butterflies going to Mexico
this year”
Or…how about finding how many paper
butterflies in one pound and then multiplying that by 337?
All great ways
to solve the same problem!
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: 55,681
Total Schools Sending Butterflies: 1,142
Total Number of Envelopes: 2,569
Bonus Monarch Math
Try solving this puzzler for some bonus points!
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Imagine
all 337 pounds of monarchs- how would they look
if you put them all on one tree? Like this?
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(Attention
older students.)
This
year we sent 55,681 paper butterflies weighing 337 pounds
to the monarch sanctuary region in Mexico.
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What
was the average weight of one paper butterfly?
The
average weight of a live monarch butterfly
is about 0.5 grams.
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How
does a paper butterfly’s weight compare to a
real butterfly?
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How
many live monarchs would it take (if you could catch
them!) to
weigh
a pound?
And finally, how many live monarchs would it take to weigh
in at 337 pounds?
Small is Beautiful
Each year more and more of our paper butterflies arrive and
show us that small is beautiful. Not only does a tiny butterfly
migrate more economically to Mexico, but they also symbolize
the kind of conservation concepts that are good for the
Earth.
Consider
creative ways you can make your
butterflies smaller next year,
too!
Participation
High for Monarch Conservation!
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 (MBSF).
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A
total of $12,128 (U.S.
dollars) was
contributed during
this fall's Symbolic
Monarch Migration
for conservation
work
in Mexico!
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Of the 1,142 schools who participated in the Symbolic
Migration, 54.8% sent contributions for conservation
efforts in Mexico! A total of $12,128.34 (U.S.
dollars) was contributed during this fall's Symbolic
Monarch Migration for conservation work in Mexico!
Since we sent 55,681 monarchs to Mexico along with
$12,128.34 for conservation work, we did some math.
Picture this: Each little paper ambassador symbolically
carried with it a 22 cent contribution on their journey
south!
Schools
Dedicated to the Cause
Dateline:
Marlboro, Vermont
In
honor of Fatso, an adult monarch raised by
their classroom and released to fly to Mexico,
the primary class in Marlboro, VT hosted a "Monarch
Butterfly Lunch," in November. The money
they raised will benefit the Monarch Butterfly
Sanctuary Foundation.
" We learned that their over-wintering grounds need protection," said
Celeste MacArthur, a teacher in the class. The high-altitude oyamel fir forests
of central Mexico are logged on a legal and illegal basis, and the monarch butterfly
migration has earned a formal designation as a "threatened phenomenon." The
lunch cost $4, and was open to the entire school and community.
On the menu were grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,
vegetable or chicken soup, cookies and cupcakes and fruit. The students
raised $414 for conservation efforts.
Dateline:
Toronto, Ontario
Funds
were raised by the grade 5/6 students at
Church St. Public School in Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. They sold beautiful butterfly cards
to raise money and were able to send $200.00
for conservation efforts.
We
would love to hear what your class
did to raise money for MBSF. Drop us
a line
and tell us the story! |
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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Orelia
preparing tortillas
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Gustavo
herding
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Noemi
washing clothes
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This
is the FINAL Symbolic Monarch Migration Update for 2005.
Copyright
1997- 2005 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our
feedback form
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