Missouri Environmental Education News August 2016
Board member Joe Pitts shares a classroom lesson on Monarch Butterflies |
Butterflies are Free
You may have observed that each year from late August through the first two weeks of October increased numbers of large, orange and black monarch butterflies flit from flower to flower. During this time of year Monarch numbers increase as the result of an annual migration that has taken place each fall since the end of the last ice age. It also is a safe bet that your students have noticed this phenomenon but do not know the large numbers of monarch butterflies are evidence of the animal behavior called migration.
Monarch numbers have suffered a steep decline that has been in the news lately. The population decline is caused by many factors but monitoring the progress of the annual migration is one key to understanding these enigmatic creatures.
Monarch Butterfly Teaching Activity
The early fall student activity described below was originally developed by the late Bill Thomas who taught high-school biology for many years in Springfield. Mr. Thomas designed the activity to give students an idea of how scientists develop estimates of the population of animals or plants in an area when it is not possible to count each individual. This activity also will give your students practice in collecting, organizing, and analyzing data. As a bonus you can accomplish your educational objectives through an outdoor activity that is suitable for the urban or rural campus.
Before using this activity have students do research on the monarch butterfly and provide rudimentary training on the identification of the monarch from other butterflies. This also is an excellent opportunity to discuss migration as it relates to animal behavior.
Butterflies Are Free Lesson (download a pdf)
Chip Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, will be speaking at the annual Association of Missouri Interpreters Meeting September 12-15 http://www.mointerp.net
The MEEA List of Things to Know About Monarch Butterflies
- Up to a billion monarch butterflies from eastern north America overwinter in the oyamel fir forests of the Miochoacan mountains of central Mexico. The butterflies are so abundant, their weight bends the branches of the trees they rest on and their fluttering wings sound like rain. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1290
- Unlike birds, which can learn a migratory route from other birds, every Monarch that flies south is doing it for the first and only time in its life. Scientists think Monarchs use a time-compensated sun-compass located in their antenna. They are also helped by changes in weather that allow them surf on south flowing thermals. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929297/
- Decline in Monarchs appears to occur after the breeding season, so planting milkweed may help but won't solve the problem. Other factors are a lack of nectar producing flowers and safe habitat along their flight path and logging in the forests where they overwinter. http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-05-22/solving-monarch-butterflys-decline-will-take-more-just-milkweed
EE Resources Related to Monarch Butterflies
- Journey North - Report your sightings each fall and spring as the monarchs travel to and from Mexico. Track migration on real-time migration maps. Help scientists learn more about monarchs. http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/
- Monarch Watch - Monarch Watch is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program based at the University of Kansas that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. Information on Monarch Waystations, Monarchs in the classroom, growing milkweed, even tagging butterlies. http://www.monarchwatch.org/index.html
- Butterflies - Lesson plans, thematic units, interactive whiteboard resources, printouts, and crafts from The Teachers Guide. http://www.theteachersguide.com/butterflies.htm
- MO DNR Monarch Page - Natural history, action projects and resources http://dnr.mo.gov/education/monarchs.htm
Things to Look for (or Look Out for) in August
- 3rd Saturday - National Honeybee Day - administered by Pennsylvania Apiculture Inc.
- 27 - National Petroleum Day - No one takes responsibility for this one, but it is supposed to be a day to learn more about petroleum (first drilled 8/27/1858 by Edwin L. Drake in Titusville PA) and our dependence on it. What the heck, use it however you like.
Check out MEEA's "Green Holidays" calendar to plan for future events
MEEA News
- People (members, communication, relationships, MEEA awards)
- Nominate someone for an Environmental Education Award. Go to http://www.meea.org/meea-awards.html for information on nominating. Deadline is September 15.
- Liz tabled at the Sustainability Institute in St. Louis. The green holidays calendar and the coloring sheets were a big hit.
- Presentations coming up.
- Jan will present "Tracking Math in the Wild" at the annual Association of Missouri Interpreters Meeting September 12-15 at Cuivre River State Park. http://www.mointerp.net
- Jan will present on "Talking the Walk" how people are more willing to take environmental action than talk to others about it, and Missouri's New Approach to Environmental Certification at the North American Association for EE Meeting October 18-22 in Madison WI.https://naaee.org/conference
- MEEA hopes to table at the Science Teachers of Missouri Conference October 7-8 in Columbia.
- Purpose (conference, certification, resources, MEEA grants)
- 2016 MOGSEE Conference - Visit the conference page to see a draft schedule or to register.
- Certification - Jan is still working on the projects for Level II Certification
- MEEA Grants Round II- MEEA opened a second round of EE grant applications. Deadline September 15, 2016.
- Resources (financial resources and their management)
- Jan applied for a scholarship to attend the NAAEE meeting (see above)
- Governance (approved minutes of past meetings)
- Strategic Planning Meeting July 23 - The board discussed significant changes to the membership structure. Stay tuned.
- Board Meeting July 23 - The board approved moving the nominations and elections to January/February of the new year. New terms will go from March 1 to February 28/29.
In Other News
- Chip Taylor (founder of Monarch Watch) to speak at AMI Meeting September 12-15
- Missouri Colleges and Universities collect over 10,000 lbs of shoes for the 2016 Battle of Boot. Collected shoes and boots go to street vendors in developing countries and support water projects.
Coming Up in the Next Two Months
- Grants and Awards Deadlines more info here
- KCPL Micro Grants (8/5); Melinda Gray Ardia Environmental Education Foundation (8/12); Lexus Eco Challenge Opens (8/1); Jamba Juice Garden Grant (8/25); Chartwell's Eat, Learn, Live and Grow Grants (8/31); MDC Community Conservation Grants (9/9); MEEA Environmental Educator Grants (9/15); Lowe's Toolbox for Education (9/26); Green Works Grant (9/30); Project Green Challenge (10/1); Save the Frogs Art Contest (10/1)
- Conferences and Meetings more info here
- September 12 - 15 - AMI Workshop
- October 7 - 8 - Science Teachers of Missouri Conference
- October 9 - 11 - Regional WET, WILD, PLT in Fort Smith
- October 15 - First Annual Forest School Conference of the Midwest
- November 5 - MO Green Schools and Environmental Education Conference
- Workshops around Missouri more info here
- Kansas City area - Converting Landscapes to Prairie Grasses at Powell Gardens
- Central - Discover Nature Schools in Columbia
- St. Louis - Wildlflower Identification at Shaw Nature Reserve
- Southwest - Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring in Springfield
- Ozark - Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring in Rolla
- Southeast - Teachers Discover Nature Puxico
- Outdoor, Nature, Environmental and Sustainability Event Calendars- visit our page of organization and agency calendars - if you would like to have your organization's regularly updated calendar added, email Jan Weaver
- EE Jobs more info here
- Naturalist, Runge Nature Center
- Executive Director, Kentucky Environmental Education Council
- Nature Play School Instructor, IL
- #byetobags Campaign Coordinator, St. Louis Zoo
- Naturalist, Rockwoods Reservation
- Field Organizer, Next Gen Climate, IA
Monarch Butterfly Coloring Sheet
