Fotos de México

Unas fotos de nuestro viaje a México



Friday, January 11, 2008

History of the USFS Monarch Butterfly Partnership

USFS International Programs (IP) explored project ideas in the Chicago area during 2006 with the goal of linking urban youth to the land. A partnership developed between IP, El Valor, and Midewin with the initial goals of integrating the Monarch Butterfly into the conservation education curriculum. Afterwards, Rolando Madrid and Mike Rizo attended the 2006 Monarch Conservation Flyway Workshop in Mission, Texas. The workshop was designed to discuss the needs of monarch conservation in the three countries (Canada, US, Mexico) focusing on breeding, migration and wintering and to discuss mechanisms for increased collaboration and leveraging of resources through development of a public-private partnerships.

Soon after, representatives from IP, El Valor, and Midewin, along with Randy Moore, Regional Forester, and John Phipps, Deputy Regional Forester, traveled to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Angangueo, Michoacan to observe conservation practices in the region. The partnership soon grew to include Alternaré, an important organization in the Monarch Reserve Region dedicated to the instruction of environmental conservation practices.

The Forest Service currently is sponsoring an exchange between El Valor and Alternaré. Six university students and instructors from El Valor will travel to Angangueo to learn about alternative practices and conservation methods employed by Alternaré, as well as to exchange environmental education curriculum ideas with the local schools. Alternaré will send six of their instructors to Chicago in the summer of 2008 to learn about the El Valor Community Center and their connections to Mexico. In addition, they will learn about the role of public lands and partnerships with conservation organizations and governments.

Other Forest Service Monarch Butterfly programs in the region include the Monarch Butterfly Research Project that is being conducted on the Hiawatha NF in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The program has been conducted since 1993 and includes activities such as larvae monitoring, migration monitoring, habitat improvement, tagging, and conservation education. At least 17 monarchs tagged during this project were found on the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan, Mexico. Janet Ekstrum, Wildlife Biologist, attended the meeting in Texas, and is helping to coordinate efforts on the Hiawatha. Sharing data and collaborating with other agencies and partners is an important part of their program.

Finally, the Forest Service continues to work with other government and non-profit agencies in Canada, Mexico, and the United States through the Wings Across Americas: Monarch Butterfly Program, focusing on conservation practices along the monarch’s migratory flyway.

Alternaré
http://alternare.org/sitio/

Wings Across Americas Monarch Butterfly Program
http://www.fs.fed.us/global/wings/butterflies/welcome.htm

The US Forest Service Monarch Butterfly in North America
http://www.fs.fed.us/monarchbutterfly/index.shtml

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