Page 24 - March 11, 2019
P. 24
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
PAGE 24 MONDAY MARCH 11, 2019 MONDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2019 PAGE 13
Armchair Travel:
Visiting the Monarch butterfly wintering grounds in Mexico
by Cassie Kushniruk
Around October of each year, millions of
monarch butterflies residing in the northeastern
areas of the US and Canada migrate 3000 miles to
Mexico for the winter.
In 2017, a study found that the migrating
monarch butterfly population has experienced an
86% drop since 1996 due to factors such as climate
change and deforestation.
Spurred by this discovery, Barbara Prescott,
Sandi Rix, and Jan Karasek decided to embark on a
one week long adventure in February 2017 to visit
the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in the
mountainous region 100 km northwest of Mexico
City.
The ladies shared these adventures with a room
packed full of interested community members
during the second Armchair Travel session of the
season on February 26.
The group of three, who joined two other ladies
for the trip, managed to organize and plan the entire
trip themselves without the use of a tour group. “It On February 26, Sandi Rix, Jan Karasek, and Barbara Prescott shared their adventures through the
was quite easy to organize for us to do it wintering grounds of the Monarch Butterfly in Mexico during the second Armchair Travel session of the
ourselves,” said Prescott. season. photo Cassie Kushniruk
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was
established as a UNESCO World Heritage site in start to fly. It was on all sides of us so we were in After all the hiking the ladies had accomplished
2008 in order to protect the 14 wintering colonies. the middle of this clearing and all around us were to see the monarch butterflies, they were treated to
Out of these 14 colonies, five are currently open to the butterflies. It was the most magical thing.” an unexpected experience in Angangueo: the
visitors. The group decided to test their limits as they Monarch Butterfly Cultural Festival. “There were
During their one week in Mexico, the group of visited the Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly people dressed in very elaborate costumes, there
ladies was able to visit three of the five colonies. Sanctuary. “This was in the tour book as being the was a parade, there was dancing, and there was a
Before divulging into their experience seeing the most strenuous and the least developed and it play that went on for a very long time.”
butterflies, Prescott mentioned that there have been definitely was true to that,” said Karasek. “It was Unfortunately due to the language barrier, the
continuing conflicts with residents residing near the very steep and hard on the lungs because the group was unable to understand the play, but that
Reserve due to the increase of population. “As the elevation was so high.” did not stop them from enjoying the festivities.
population increases, people want to convert more While the other ladies decided to hike the trail Following the presentation, one attendant asked
of the area into farmland and want to continue themselves, Karasek opted for a horse, “Otherwise the ladies what type of food they typically ate while
logging,” explained Prescott. “That really infringes I would still be halfway up and panting.” on their trip.
on the biosphere.” Although it took the hikers two hours to get to The group replied that they ate a good amount of
The ladies began their adventure in the city of the reserve, it was all worth it in the end as they rice, beans, and corn tortillas, and Prescott added
Morelia—the capital of the Mexican state of were met with another magical scene as orange that they ate a surprising amount of fish. “There
Michoacan— which is widely known for its dominated the sky and the faint sound of fluttering was a lake outside of Zitacuaro and it was known
abundance of well-preserved Spanish Colonial was the only thing to be heard. for some kind of trout,” she said.
architecture, including the Morelia Cathedral. The last reserve the ladies visited was the Sierra Another attendant asked if they felt that a week
The Morelia Cathedral, which is located in the Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary, which was a was long enough for their trip or if they would have
center of the city, was constructed in 1600 and significantly easier hike but was dominated with rather extended it for a longer period of time.
completed in 1744. “It has three different time tourists. “It's the second most visited place after El “I think a week was long enough,” Rix replied.
periods of architecture,” said Rix. “The most Rosario,” mentioned Karasek. “We saw what we wanted to see and we really
notable is the Twin Towers, and it was lit up every “You can see that the trunks of the trees are just weren't going down to see the cities. We had a
night. That was kind of our first view of Morelia.” covered in butterflies,” Karasek said while sharing purpose in mind.”
Karasek then took over to explain the migratory a video. The last Armchair Travel session of the season
patterns of the monarch butterflies coming into Prescott added, “Butterflies were whizzing past will be held on March 13 when local Ciera Knight
Mexico. “We wondered where these guys were all your head. It was absolutely amazing.” will share her journey climbing Mount Everest.
coming from in Mexico,” she said.
“The monarchs that end up in Mexico are called
the 'Super Generation' and they are very important
because when they are hatched around mid to late FCSS:
August, they delay reproduction and start joining
their fellow monarchs and start heading south
towards the Sierra Madre [Mountains],” explained LITTLE CHEFS!
Karasek. “No one can explain what happens in
their little brains.”
Monarchs that are born east of the Rocky
Mountains start heading south around October,
where they converge in Texas and arrive in the
Sierra Madres Mountains around October 31. On
the west side of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs
migrate to California for the winter, although their
numbers are far smaller than the monarch
population in Mexico.
The approximate arrival time of the monarchs in
Mexico corresponds with the annual Day of the
Dead celebration. “[The Mexicans] believe that the
monarchs are the spirits of their ancestors and the
souls of their departed loved ones,” said Karasek.
“It's kind of a sacred time for them.”
The El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve,
which is the largest and most popular reserve, was
the first area the group of ladies visited. “The
butterflies cover about 1500 trees in this one area,”
said Prescott while sharing pictures of monarchs
covering entire trunks of trees and weighing down
branches. Dana Tattersol with FCSS along with a group at the Little Chef program that is held once a month. It is a
“When the shade is on them, they all clump time for little ones to be able to explore the kitchen and help make a snack. Dana said, "Today youngsters
together on the trunks and branches of the trees,” made fruit smoothies and had an assortment of bagels to chose from to toast. It is great seeing some of
said Prescott.“When the sun shines on them, they the dads out today for Little Chefs." photo Deanna Mitchener
THE WEEKLY ANCHOR
PAGE 24 MONDAY MARCH 11, 2019 MONDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2019 PAGE 13
Armchair Travel:
Visiting the Monarch butterfly wintering grounds in Mexico
by Cassie Kushniruk
Around October of each year, millions of
monarch butterflies residing in the northeastern
areas of the US and Canada migrate 3000 miles to
Mexico for the winter.
In 2017, a study found that the migrating
monarch butterfly population has experienced an
86% drop since 1996 due to factors such as climate
change and deforestation.
Spurred by this discovery, Barbara Prescott,
Sandi Rix, and Jan Karasek decided to embark on a
one week long adventure in February 2017 to visit
the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in the
mountainous region 100 km northwest of Mexico
City.
The ladies shared these adventures with a room
packed full of interested community members
during the second Armchair Travel session of the
season on February 26.
The group of three, who joined two other ladies
for the trip, managed to organize and plan the entire
trip themselves without the use of a tour group. “It On February 26, Sandi Rix, Jan Karasek, and Barbara Prescott shared their adventures through the
was quite easy to organize for us to do it wintering grounds of the Monarch Butterfly in Mexico during the second Armchair Travel session of the
ourselves,” said Prescott. season. photo Cassie Kushniruk
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve was
established as a UNESCO World Heritage site in start to fly. It was on all sides of us so we were in After all the hiking the ladies had accomplished
2008 in order to protect the 14 wintering colonies. the middle of this clearing and all around us were to see the monarch butterflies, they were treated to
Out of these 14 colonies, five are currently open to the butterflies. It was the most magical thing.” an unexpected experience in Angangueo: the
visitors. The group decided to test their limits as they Monarch Butterfly Cultural Festival. “There were
During their one week in Mexico, the group of visited the Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly people dressed in very elaborate costumes, there
ladies was able to visit three of the five colonies. Sanctuary. “This was in the tour book as being the was a parade, there was dancing, and there was a
Before divulging into their experience seeing the most strenuous and the least developed and it play that went on for a very long time.”
butterflies, Prescott mentioned that there have been definitely was true to that,” said Karasek. “It was Unfortunately due to the language barrier, the
continuing conflicts with residents residing near the very steep and hard on the lungs because the group was unable to understand the play, but that
Reserve due to the increase of population. “As the elevation was so high.” did not stop them from enjoying the festivities.
population increases, people want to convert more While the other ladies decided to hike the trail Following the presentation, one attendant asked
of the area into farmland and want to continue themselves, Karasek opted for a horse, “Otherwise the ladies what type of food they typically ate while
logging,” explained Prescott. “That really infringes I would still be halfway up and panting.” on their trip.
on the biosphere.” Although it took the hikers two hours to get to The group replied that they ate a good amount of
The ladies began their adventure in the city of the reserve, it was all worth it in the end as they rice, beans, and corn tortillas, and Prescott added
Morelia—the capital of the Mexican state of were met with another magical scene as orange that they ate a surprising amount of fish. “There
Michoacan— which is widely known for its dominated the sky and the faint sound of fluttering was a lake outside of Zitacuaro and it was known
abundance of well-preserved Spanish Colonial was the only thing to be heard. for some kind of trout,” she said.
architecture, including the Morelia Cathedral. The last reserve the ladies visited was the Sierra Another attendant asked if they felt that a week
The Morelia Cathedral, which is located in the Chincua Butterfly Sanctuary, which was a was long enough for their trip or if they would have
center of the city, was constructed in 1600 and significantly easier hike but was dominated with rather extended it for a longer period of time.
completed in 1744. “It has three different time tourists. “It's the second most visited place after El “I think a week was long enough,” Rix replied.
periods of architecture,” said Rix. “The most Rosario,” mentioned Karasek. “We saw what we wanted to see and we really
notable is the Twin Towers, and it was lit up every “You can see that the trunks of the trees are just weren't going down to see the cities. We had a
night. That was kind of our first view of Morelia.” covered in butterflies,” Karasek said while sharing purpose in mind.”
Karasek then took over to explain the migratory a video. The last Armchair Travel session of the season
patterns of the monarch butterflies coming into Prescott added, “Butterflies were whizzing past will be held on March 13 when local Ciera Knight
Mexico. “We wondered where these guys were all your head. It was absolutely amazing.” will share her journey climbing Mount Everest.
coming from in Mexico,” she said.
“The monarchs that end up in Mexico are called
the 'Super Generation' and they are very important
because when they are hatched around mid to late FCSS:
August, they delay reproduction and start joining
their fellow monarchs and start heading south
towards the Sierra Madre [Mountains],” explained LITTLE CHEFS!
Karasek. “No one can explain what happens in
their little brains.”
Monarchs that are born east of the Rocky
Mountains start heading south around October,
where they converge in Texas and arrive in the
Sierra Madres Mountains around October 31. On
the west side of the Rocky Mountains, monarchs
migrate to California for the winter, although their
numbers are far smaller than the monarch
population in Mexico.
The approximate arrival time of the monarchs in
Mexico corresponds with the annual Day of the
Dead celebration. “[The Mexicans] believe that the
monarchs are the spirits of their ancestors and the
souls of their departed loved ones,” said Karasek.
“It's kind of a sacred time for them.”
The El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve,
which is the largest and most popular reserve, was
the first area the group of ladies visited. “The
butterflies cover about 1500 trees in this one area,”
said Prescott while sharing pictures of monarchs
covering entire trunks of trees and weighing down
branches. Dana Tattersol with FCSS along with a group at the Little Chef program that is held once a month. It is a
“When the shade is on them, they all clump time for little ones to be able to explore the kitchen and help make a snack. Dana said, "Today youngsters
together on the trunks and branches of the trees,” made fruit smoothies and had an assortment of bagels to chose from to toast. It is great seeing some of
said Prescott.“When the sun shines on them, they the dads out today for Little Chefs." photo Deanna Mitchener
