Letter From Estela Romero: November 28th Is Opening Day!

Published: 11/24/2020 

Dear Monarch Community,

We are approaching the official opening day of Sierra Chincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries!

Mandatory reforestation activities were undertaken last summer, including over a thousand trees at each Sanctuary. Trees species included Oyamel, Pine and Cedar, species well adapted to our our high elevation forests (10 thousand feet). All local personnel have been trained in all the health regulations and are ready to welcome visitors. All seems ready for the 2020-2021 season when doors will open on November 28th.

Our forests, seeds, and canopy in general seem to have really low storage of humidity for the coming months which unfortunately promise to be very dry and hot. We all fear a severe shortage of water.

Residents living not far from El Rosario Sanctuary, Monica and Gabriela, Celina and Maria Elena, note: “It is only November and monarchs are too active. They come down by waves every single morning as soon as the burning sun intensifies overday in search of ponds and little creeks, which carry much less water than in previous years.”

This is indeed not good news. We will all keep watching to weather conditions and monarchs behavior.

Horacio and Pamela, grand-children of two Ejidatario families, remarked: “We have already got a few outside visitors this weekend, just looking forward to resting and camping overnight. It did not seem to matter that the monarch sanctuaries had not yet opened. Meanwhile our parents and grandparents practice all hygiene and welcoming protocols in preparation for the opening next Saturday.”

We are all looking forward to November 28th, when we will be able to see the monarchs roosting in their habitats. We are concerned about the hot temperatures, dry conditions, and intense sunlight. We await for the experts to comment on whether these conditions will alter the monarch overwintering cycle and their behavior. We hope that weather conditions change substantially over the coming weeks and months.

Estela Romero

Angangueo, Michoacán, México.