Letter from Estela Romero: Monarch Numbers Rising and Reforestation Efforts
Published 11/08/2022
Dear friends,
It is miraculous to witness. The number of monarchs arriving rises every day!
Of concern, daytime temperatures are also rising. It appears that this fall will be warmer than we remember from previous years.
However, we continue to rejoice as monarchs race to their overwintering locations among the oyamel fir trees in Sierra Chincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries as well as in Cerro Pelón Sanctuary. (Cerro Pelón is located one thousand meters lower in elevation than Sierra Chincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries.)
Last summer, as usual, ejidatario families, who are responsible for the conservation of our ancestral fir forests, accomplished their reforestation work successfully.
261 ejidatarios families, in the El Rosario Ejido, planted close to 280,000 oyamel, pine and cedar trees, while the 36 ejidatarios in Cerro Prieto Ejido (Sierra Chincua), reported that they planted 18,000 trees. These reforestation efforts are critical to the survival of monarchs.
Mr. Silvestre, an experienced guide at El Rosario Sanctuary, the largest sanctuary of the three, tells visitors:
Monarchs are just arriving and recognizing their overwintering areas now; numbers are still low but continuously rising; they [monarchs] are all around everywhere; it will take at least a couple of more weeks for us to start seeing formal clustering. A silent and empty forest allows ideal conditions for it.
Lucero, Ramiro, Alejandra, Baldemar and other guides from El Rosario keep watching the spectacular arrival of monarchs.
Please watch for another update in two weeks.
Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michoacán, México.
Note to our readers: This article has been edited from the original English version.
