Journey
North's
Symbolic Migration
Newsletter 2003-2004 |
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Dear Students,
Congratulations!
Through your participation in Journey North's Symbolic Monarch Migration,
your class helped celebrate one the world's most spectacular migrations.
Your Symbolic Butterflies served as a symbol of international cooperation,
the kind that is necessary for the survival of migratory species.
And now the
Symbolic Monarch Butterflies have returned! But before you greet them,
close your eyes and imagine yourself in Mexico. You're standing in a monarch
sanctuary in the midst of millions of butterflies. The flurry of their
wings sounds like rain. As you move carefully and quietly toward an oyamel
branch, you see individual butterflies clustered together so tightly that
a branch can break under their weight. Each butterfly flew hundreds and
hundreds of miles to this small spot on the planet. They came last fall
from points across eastern North America, including your hometown.
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Your
clusters of Symbolic Monarchs arriving from Mexico |
As if plucked
from a branch, your class now has a cluster of Symbolic Monarchs. Each
butterfly was made last fall by a student somewhere in the U.S. or Canada.
A Mexican student cared for these butterflies until spring arrived. Then,
in parallel with the real monarch migration, the child sent them on their
journey north.
When the
monarchs cross the border from Mexico in the spring, with them comes our
responsibility to preserve habitat on the monarchs' summer breeding grounds.
This seasonal passage across our borders symbolizes the role each country
must play to preserve the monarch's annual migration.
Please continue
the cycle of friendship and stewardship that these butterflies have begun
by following the suggestions in this booklet.
Thank you
for taking part in this celebration!
Your
Friends at Journey North
How
to Continue the Cycle of Friendship and Stewardship
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2
Get to Know Your New Mexican
Friend
Find the hand-colored tag on your monarch cluster bag.
It's written in Spanish by a Mexican student so you may need a translator.
This student
is hoping to hear from you! As a class, write a letter to the student
to say that the butterflies have landed safely in your hands...Don't forget
to thank the Mexican student for protecting the butterflies during the
long, cold northern winter. Be sure to write in Spanish to the address
included in your packet.
Release
the Symbolic Monarch Butterflies!
The butterflies' wings are tired after their long journey.
Remember, just like the real monarchs, the Symbolic Monarchs
began their journey last fall in the north. They have traveled all the
way to Mexico and back, so don't be surprised if they appear worn from
the trip. They're lucky to have survived!
Now it's time to discover where your butterflies came from--and who made
them.
Find the locations on a map of North America. Make a class display to
show where each butterfly originated. Use a push-pin to mark the spot.
Display the butterfly on the wall, and connect it with yarn to the push-pin
that shows where it's from.
Your map will reflect the various people and places who are connected
by monarch migration.
If you receive butterflies from places outside the monarch's migration
route (such as Alaska, British Columbia or California) discuss how these
people are connected to the monarch in spirit. As a global treasure, monarchs
are part of the world's heritage, along with India's tigers, Africa's
elephants, etc.
You
May Want to…
Send letters to the children who made the monarchs you received. Tell
them that their butterfly survived the long migration to and from Mexico,
and is now with you.
Be sure to send the name and address of the Mexican student who watched
over the cluster. List the locations of the other butterflies that spent
the winter clustered together.
Everybody loves to receive mail. Maybe you'll receive your own butterflies
back from a faraway place, too.
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Watch for Tagged Butterflies!
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Hand-made
tag |
Be sure to notice
the hand-made tag on your monarch cluster this year. This
tag was made by a student in the sanctuary region and is marked with the
student’s name, their school and their teacher’s name.
In addition you may find one of two "special" butterflies. They
have orange or green colored tags on their wings so you'll recognize them.
These butterflies come from special places. Here are their stories:
Orange
Tag
Tagged by a Tourist at El Rosario Monarch or Sierra Cincua Sanctuary
Michoacán, México
Translation
of Text: I visited the "El Rosario" or “Sierra Cincua”
sanctuary on ___________ (date) where I saw millions of real monarch
butterflies in their winter home. I also visited the "Symbolic
Monarch Migration" exhibit where I tagged this butterfly. Members
of the ______ ejido, who own land in these sanctuaries, are protecting
Symbolic Monarchs at this exhibit. Here visitors can learn about
the importance of monarchs to the children of North America. Through
this project, members of the ejido community can also earn income
for their service in educating tourists. Please write to me and
continue the cycle of friendship! |
Green
Tag
Tagged on the Monarch's Migration Pathway
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
Text:
This butterfly was made by a student who lives in northern Mexico,
on the monarch's migration pathway. Every fall, rivers of monarchs
funnel overhead on their way to the sanctuaries in Central Mexico.
In spring, they again pass overhead on their way to breed in the
north and continue the cycle.
About
20 years ago, when her children were young, Señora Rocio
Trevino's family moved to Coahuila. Every fall, when the thousands
of butterflies swarmed through, people thought they were invading
insects. The children made a game to see how many they could kill.
As Señora Trevino remembers, her children held contests to
see who could make the biggest pile! Much later, she came to realize
that these butterflies were the famous monarch butterflies that
spend the winter in the mountains of Michoacan, over 400 miles to
the south. Señora Trevino has dedicated herself to educating
the people who live along the migration route about the importance
of the monarch. This butterfly was made by one of the thousands
of students who have learned about the monarchs because of Señora
Trevino. |
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Share Your Stories With Journey North Students!
We've set up a meeting place on the Web so you can:
- Tell
the stories of the butterflies you have received.
- Find out
where your own butterflies landed.
Step
1 Get Oriented
You will send an e-mail message to the Journey North Web site.
- First,
inspect the sample E-mail Message carefully so
you'll know what to include. (Do NOT include names of students who made
the butterflies you received!)
- Then go
to the Web so you'll understand where your message will be posted. This
is where all messages will go:
Classroom Messages Posted
Step
2 Write and Send Your E-mail Message
a) Write the Subject Line:
SAMPLE SUBJECT LINE: Butterflies landed at Sample School
in MN from MD, NJ, SC, PA, PQ, LA, IL, MS, OH, MN, TX, MI, GA, CO
Be sure to list all of the states and provinces in the subject line. This
is how people will find their own butterflies simply. The sample subject
line above corresponds with the sample email message.
b)
Write Your Message:
You're free to write whatever you like. Try to include the list of schools
as shown in the example.
c)
Send Your Message:
Address your message to: jn-symbolic@learner.org
Step
3 Come to the Web to Look for Your Butterflies!
Here is the address where all messages will be displayed:
If everyone
participates, you may find your own butterflies! Look for your own state
on the list, then open the message to see if your butterflies were found.
Come back to the Web and visit often.
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Sample E-mail Message
Dear
Friends,
Our class received Symbolic Butterflies that were cared for this winter
by a Mexican student named Alberto Diaz Sanchez of Angangueo, Michoacan.
They spent the winter in Mexico clustered with butterflies from 14
different states and provinces.
Here are the schools where the butterflies we received
came from:
Green Acres School in Rockville, MD
Medford Memorial School in Medford, NJ
Gold Hill Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC
Blackhawk Intermediate School in Beaver Falls, PA
Harold Napper School in Brossard, PQ (Quebec)
Cathedral Carmel School in Lafayette, LA
Owen Marsh Elementary School in Springfield, IL
Henderson School in Starkville, MS
Robert Frost Elementary School in Westerville, OH
Kimball Elementary School in Kimball, MN
Huffmann School in In Huffmann, TX
Barbara Bush Middle School in San Antonio, TX
Concord Academy Boyne in Boyne City, MI
South Park Elementary School in Pueblo, CO
Monticello Elementary School in Huber Heights, OH
Chestnut Log Middle School in Douglasville, GA
Oxford Central School in Oxford, NJ
Walker Charter Academy in Walker, MI
Please send us e-mail so we can give you Alberto
Diaz Sanchez’s mailing address. We know you'll want to thank
him!
Sincerely,
Sample School in Wayzata, MN
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Thank You!
The Symbolic Migration project would not be possible without:
- Ruthan
Gagnier of J.River, Inc. for her invaluable assistance in preparing
the butterflies for a safe journey to Mexico and through customs.
- Señora
Rocio Treviño, of Correo Real, who dedicates her time to monarch
conservation and education all along the monarch's migration path through
northern Mexico. Señora Treviño found homes for 2,000
butterflies this winter, and had another 2,000 new butterflies made.
- German
Medina for his tireless dedication to delivering both the Symbolic Butterflies
and news of conservation to the many schools in the sanctuary area.
Sierra Cincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries for hosting the displays, Ejido
Cerro Prieto, the Ejido Los Remedios, the Romero family, and many other
friends in the Angangueo community who have embraced the Symbolic Monarch
Migration and are working to involve local students in the international
community that's united by the monarch.
- United
Parcel Service (UPS), for letting the butterflies fly freely across
our borders once again this year.
NEW
for FALL 2004: A Field Trip to the Sanctuary
Due to funding changes, we may find it necessary to charge $1 for each
symbolic monarch that migrates to Mexico next year. This is the exact
cost for a child’s ticket to the Monarch Sanctuary! (One ticket
is 10 pesos, equivalent to $1 U.S.) We hope this causes no undue burdens
for your participation in the Symbolic Migration. Watch news on the website
in August.
Journey
North
Phone: (802) 425-2252
Fax: (802) 425-2323
E-Mail:
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2003-2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
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