Shawnee News-Star Weekender Feb. 22nd 2020 Becky Emerson Carlberg The state of Michoacan, Mexico, lies in the mountains of central Mexico and extends to the west coast. El Rosario Sanctuary at 
Shawnee News-Star Weekender Feb. 22nd 2020 Becky Emerson Carlberg The state of Michoacan, Mexico, lies in the mountains of central Mexico and extends to the west coast. El Rosario Sanctuary at 138,379 acres is the largest and most popular in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Millions of monarchs migrate from the United States to spend […]
Shawnee News-Star Weekender Feb. 22nd 2020Monarch butterflies on Milkweed flowers
Becky Emerson Carlberg
The state of Michoacan, Mexico, lies in the mountains ofcentral Mexico and extends to the west coast. El Rosario Sanctuary at 138,379 acres is the largest and most popular inthe Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. Millions of monarchs migrate from the United States to spend October toMarch in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt pine-oak forests ecoregion. Sayagain? The reserve has the highestelevations in the state with some peaks over 2,700 meters (8,000 feet) abovesea level. The mountains have a northeast-southwest orientation. Although the climate is temperate, there arecool/ semi moist, semi cold/ semi moist, and cold/ semi moist sub-climates.
Outcrops of basalt (igneous rock created from the rapidcooling of magnesium-iron rich lava at surface level) form fissures andcliffs. The soil readily soaks up waterbut some ponds and dry creek banks which fill after rains exist. The rich, diversemixture of trees form thick forests and scattered islands of timber throughout themountain ranges of Central and South America. The Aile (Alnus acuminata) is birch tree that loves high altitudes between5,000 to10,000 feet. Greater than tenspecies of oaks, five species of pines plus white cedars, cypresses and oyameltrees in particular thrive in this region.
Oyemel (Abies religiosa) is a fir tree native to the cloud forests in the Mexican mountains. The drought-resistant tall tree that reaches over 160 feet in height loves high rainfall, cool humid summers and dry winters. The forests provide protection and shelter during winter rains and cold snaps. Scientists are worried that the very important oyamel fir could shrink or disappear by the end of this century due to climate change.Conifer similar to the Oyamel Fir
Fourteen major butterfly colonies are located in thesemountains"over half the colonies of the monarch population in the eastern USand Canada. You're talking millions ofbutterflies overwintering each year. Theweight of so many butterflies cause the fir branches to droop. Colonies are dense. Eight of the fourteen are in the protectedbiosphere. Defugalties arise betweenlocals, farmers, or communities. Deforestation and illegal logging to clear land for avocado and fruit orchards,tourism run amok, forest fires, mining for copper and silver, and lack ofinfrastructure have seriously affected monarch habitats. The area isimpoverished. Money comes fromharvesting trees for timber and planting potatoes or wheat, not ecotourism orpreservation. Michoacan is Mexico'slargest supplier of avocadoes.
Butterfly conservationist and sanctuary manager Homero GomezGonzalez fought endlessly for the El Rosario Sanctuary. He called the monarchs 'a marvel of nature.'Gomez disappeared