Travel Advisory! Please read carefully so you know what to expect. The Purpose Behind the Symbolic Migration:  Students become ambassadors for the migrating monarchs as they cross international boundaries. Monarch butterflies are a SHARED natural resource. The symbolic migration parallels the real monarch migration in rich and complex ways. These parallels provide valuable opportunities for real learning about international relations and the risks of migration. See Lessons >>. What to Expect Next Spring: You will not get your own butterflies back next spring. You will receive butterflies that were made by other U.S. and Canadian students. You may not receive as many butterflies back next spring as you send this fall. In past years, even with our greatest efforts, the return rate has been approximately 80-90%. (Please do not send more butterflies than the number of students in your class.) Computers are not as readily available to students in Mexico as they are in the US and Canada. Most messages and addresses you receive from Mexico will be handwritten in Spanish. How To Prepare for the Symbolic Migration: Send your monarch as an ambassador to Mexico. These Symbolic Migration Lessons >> will help reinforce the spirit and objectives of the Symbolic Monarch Migration. Understand that the quality of the butterflies you send in the fall may be different than the quality of those you receive back next spring. (Just as beautiful, new monarchs go to Mexico in the fall, the real monarchs that return are tattered and torn.) This is a class project not an individual exchange. Copyright 1997- 2006 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form