discovered by scientists until 1975, and only after years of research and travel. Each October, the Monarchs arrive there, completing a 3,000-mile migration across the U.S. to Central Mexico. Their arrival coincides with Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), an important Mexican holiday, and popular legend holds that the Monarchs are the souls of deceased loved ones returning home. The migration is one of our most celebrated natural wonders. But researchers say the Monarchs’ epic journey is threatened by the devastation of the butterfly’s vital sources of food and shelter and that urgent action is needed lest this migration collapse. For the overwintering Monarch, this means maintaining what little is left of the region’s trees that are vital to their survival. Millions of monarchs cling to fir trees on this mountain range for six months each winter before they start their journey back to the U.S. The drug wars are but another human disruption of this critically balanced ecosystem. As we were set to depart, the fighting had begun to escalate to the point that avocado and lime farmers were arming themselves with automatic weapons for self protection. We monitored news reports with the sickening knowledge that not only were we going to miss another year of assessing the monarch population, but that the books we had hoped to bring to the children would never reach their destination. Our guide, Hugo, called from Mexico warning that we must not enter the region. He said families were being gunned down at checkpoints by drug dealers dressed as federal troops. We also knew that the end of our trip also meant great financial loss for Hugo and his family, who would have served as our hosts and taken care of our transportation back and forth from Central Mexico to the Monarch colonies.
FOR THE BEST IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FOR ALL YOUR VEHICLE NEEDS Call or Stop in To See
JACKIE CLAYTON at PIONEER FORD
(404)538-7732 or (770)537-FORD claytonj128@yahoo.com
Photo by Ricky Stilley 56
West Georgia Living
May/June/2014