MonarchLIVE – A Distance Learning Adventure
By Sandy Frost, Conservation Education

On Friday, October 10, from 12-1 p.m. Eastern Time, children from the United States, Mexico and Canada will tune in to watch Chief Kimbell, and a host of partners, kickoff MonarchLIVE—A Distance Learning Adventure. Every Forest Service employee can easily join the event from their work computer. 

MonarchLIVE is an exciting conservation education project that uses satellite broadcast and Web technology to bring the magic of monarch migration to classrooms and children throughout the Western Hemisphere.

The annual migration cycle of the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the world.  Each year, millions of monarchs migrate thousands of miles to overwinter in the mountain peaks in the states of Mexico and Michoacan, Mexico.

During the 2008-09 school year, MonarchLIVE will offer a series of free, LIVE, interactive field trips for classrooms across the United States, Mexico, and Canada highlighting monarch biology, citizen science research, and stewardship.  A rich Web site provides resources in both English and Spanish.

To learn more about MonarchLIVE, click here>>> to watch an engaging 2-minute video overview of the project.
 
The broad coalition of partners, led by Forest Service International Programs and Conservation Education, includes the Prince William Network, Project Learning Tree, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, NRCS, Monarchs in the Classroom, National Environmental Education Foundation, Monarch Watch and many more.

Visit the project Web site at  to register for the program, and to ensure that your computer is configured to receive the broadcast.