Keep Them Fluttering By

150_monarch%2520butterly.jpg Looking for a campaign your students can engage in with Earth Day 2007 just around the corner? Well, in keeping with this years theme of cooling the planet, how about working to raise funds to support Trees for Monarchs? It's a campaign to help save the forests in Mexico on which the Monarchs depend each winter by planting over 40,000 trees in south-central Mexico as part of a multiyear program to improve winter nesting sites for the endangered butterfly. As the monarch is threatened by deforestation of its winter habitat in the fir forests, this just may be a great way to teach kids about endangered species as well as global warming while helping to physically save the planet at the same time. Wondering how much impact just one class of 25 can have on the world? Well, every dollar you donate plants a tree, and reforesting these sites will not just improve the butterfly’s nesting habitat, but also restore soil and watersheds in the deforested areas. And that's not all, because the program also works to create alternative sites for wood extraction, it will alleviate future pressure on monarch habitats as well. This might be a great way to teach your kids about the interconnected web of life, and enable them to make a positive difference for Earth Day 2007.