Increase in Monarch butterflies is good news for PLT students who created habitat
The annual migration of monarch butterflies is an “endangered natural phenomenon.” Every year, millions of these tiny travelers migrate thousands of miles from the United States and Canada to spend the winter months in Mexico. This yearly move has made monarchs dependant on conservation of habitats in all three countries. Through the MonarchLIVE program, Project Learning Tree and its partners promoted monarch education and supported the creation of places for butterflies to find nourishment and rest during their impressive journey.
Students followed the migration of monarch butterflies through a series of live, interactive field trips broadcast from Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. As part of MonarchLIVE, PLT awarded 16 GreenWorks! grants, through a competitive process, to schools and youth organizations in 11 states to create butterfly gardens. These GreenWorks! service-learning projects involved students in all grades, preschool through college, and in both urban neighborhoods and rural communities … and the stories of their results are amazing!
According to the Associated Press, the report issued yesterday by the World Wildlife Fund Mexico indicates that the total amount of forest covered by colonies of orange-and-black butterflies more than doubled from last year’s historic low. Despite the rebound, experts remain cautious. While fluctuations in insect populations are normal in nature, statistics gathered do point to a long-term decline in average numbers. This means there is an ongoing need for monarch butterfly conservation and education.
MonarchLIVE is a partnership between Project Learning Tree (the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation), the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Prince William Network. This year, the MonarchLIVE program has been expanded to teach students about pollinators in general, including bees, birds, bats, and butterflies, that play an important role in biodiversity, global food webs, and human health. This program, called PollinatorLIVE, is helping teach students in grades 4-8 about pollinators, gardening and conservation. And again this year, students across the country will engage with their communities in “learning-by-doing” projects to create more habitat for pollinators, including monarch butterflies! Thanks to funding provided by the U.S. Forest Service, PLT will soon announce the recipients of the GreenWorks! PollinatorLIVE Garden Grants!
Teachers and students wishing to learn more about what they can do to help monarch butterflies and other pollinators can visit the MonarchLIVE and PollinatorLIVE websites for lesson plans, activities, archived webcasts and webinars.
