Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar - Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead
Overview
Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar grew up in Mexico City where she developed a lifelong love for art and celebrations, such as Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Now an artist and educator in Salt Lake City, she shares her insights into this iconic Mexican celebration. Her first-hand knowledge provides a pathway to appreciating art, food, folklore, music, history, and Mexican cultural values.
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living." - Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Lesson Plan Includes
Module 1: What a Mexican Celebration of Death Teaches Us All About Life
Grades: 7-12 | Time: 2.25 Hours |
Videos
This video corresponds with Module 1
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This video corresponds with Module 2
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Module 1 - What a Mexican Celebration of Death Teaches Us All About Life
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Introduction
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Curriculum Map
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Lesson Plan
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Arts Integration Project
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Dig Deeper
Salt Lake artist and educator Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar takes students on a personal journey into the iconic Día de los Muertos, celebrated annually throughout Mexico giving us valuable insight into Mexican cultural values. The Day of the Dead is about celebrating the cycle of life and remembering our loved ones and ancestors who are no longer with us. The holiday coincides with the spectacular annual migration of Monarch Butterflies as they return to their breeding grounds high in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico.
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
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MATERIALS
Graphic Organizer: |
This unit is organized around the Day of the Dead video presentation. It can be taught as one 3-hour learning experience, or in modules that combine as few or many of the activities as time allows. It is designed to be taught in the order below:
- 15 minutes: Launch activity - Pre-viewing - Connecting with the Departed
- 45 minutes: While-viewing - Understanding the Importance of Day of the Dead
- 30 minutes: Post-viewing - Writing and Synthesizing - Comparing Cultures
- 20+ minutes: Making Connections - Making Your Own Altar
- 25 minutes: Assessment - Art Exhibition, Interpretation, Feedback and Evaluation
[15 minutes]
[Learning Objectives: 1, 2]
Procedures:
- Introduce topic: "The Day of the Dead" or in Spanish, "Día de los Muertos," a Mexican celebration where the living reconnect with, and remember the departed.
- Tell students, "In this module we will learn from a local artist, teacher, and immigrant from Mexico about Day of the Dead. You will learn where many of the traditions came from, and why the celebration, despite the macabre symbols like skulls and skeletons, is a joyous way to honor loved ones who have died. You will also consider how your family memorializes lost loved ones and think about how your rituals are similar or different from those practiced in Mexico."
- Discuss different ways of memorializing a lost loved one, like spreading ashes, writing a eulogy in the local newspaper, sending flowers, holding a church funeral, wearing a piece of jewelry of that person, planting a tree, naming a star, getting a tattoo. Share an example of your traditions, or a story of how you memorialize a loved one. Reassure students that there are many diverse ways to honor passed loved ones and they vary from culture to culture.
- Put students in small groups to discuss their own family experiences with memorializing a lost loved one. (Group students in a breakout room or assign them to unique Google Docs to brainstorm their ideas collaboratively.
- Invite groups back and discuss as a class, acknowledging the importance of these practices. Conduct a quick "chat storm," allowing 1-2 minutes for students to type their practices into a chat box.
[45 minutes]
[Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Procedures:
- Provide students with the link to the Día de los Muertos cluster map, a graphic organizer of your choice, or tell them to draw a cluster map on a piece of paper. Have them write Día de los Muertos in the center. Then in the surrounding circles, write "when," "where," "why," "interesting details" and "something I want to know more about."
- Have students watch Noemi's presentation about Day of the Dead [27:30 minutes] and take notes in their graphic organizer. It is the first video on this page.
- Invite students to share their notes in a discussion forum, or discuss as a class or in small groups. Did they have any of the same "interesting details" or things they'd like to know more about?
[30 minutes]
[Learning Objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
Procedures:
- Ask students as a class if they think that Day of the Dead is Mexican Halloween? Use the T-chart, to compare and contrast the holidays. Broadcast one or two of the following fact-checking references: Day of the Dead vs. Halloween and Day of the Dead What is similar? What is different?
- Day of the Dead and Halloween do share some things in common. Cultures across the world influence each other as people mix, migrate and interact. Share some examples from Noemi's presentation:
- The James Bond movie Spectre included a fictional portrayal of a Day of the Dead parade. Afterward, people in Mexico City decided to throw a Day of the Dead parade, to attract visitors. To this day it is an annual event and a great example of cross-cultural influence. (Option: Play this clip: Day of the Dead scene in the James Bond film Spectre - View the clip here. Only watch the first minute of the video.)
- Dressing up like the fancily-dressed Catrina (skeletons) was first done in California and later caught on in Mexico.
- At Halloween parties in the U.S, it is now common to see at least a few people dressed as calaveras - the decorative, floral skulls that are prevalent during Día de los Muertos.
- Retailers often market Day of the Dead-themed costumes and decorations as Halloween paraphernalia.
- Note: *The article, "It is Not Mexican Halloween" is a good reference for this discussion.
- Summarize by emphasizing how cultures are constantly evolving, being influenced by new ideas, experiences, and technologies. International travel and social interaction between the U.S. and Mexico have resulted in adaptations to these celebrations on both sides of the border.
[45 minutes]
[Learning Objectives: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
Procedures:
- Tell students, "We are going to learn more about altares y ofrendas (altars and offerings) to the dead - one of the most important traditions of Day of the Dead. Learning how another culture deals with losing someone they love gives us more insight and options when dealing with our own loss, human or pet, and the possibility of creating our own altars with offerings.
- Viewing / Reading: Share the Día de los Muertos: Ofrendas Y Altares slideshow. Move through the slides, reading the text out loud as a class. Highlight that the Ofrendas represent the four elements - water, fire, wind, and earth: candles represent fire; flowers represent earth. Point out the blue papel picado on the table under the Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead). Ask students if they remember what Noemi said in her presentation about the meaning of papel picado? (Papel picado represents wind). Go to the next slide (#6) and see if they can identify any of the elements in this altar. (water (in the cup);wind - papel picado; fire - candles; earth - marigolds (Marigolds (Cempasúchitl) guide the spirits to the altars with their alluring scent.))
Note: *For more information on Altars and Offerings see Appendix A. - Viewing / Listening: When you reach slide 7 - introduce the podcast, "Carrying the Lost With You on Day of the Dead," by teen Anayansi Diaz-Cortez Put the questions below in the chatroom prior to listening, and discuss after:
- What is the central message of the story?
- What do you think Anayansi meant when she said, "I know what I am supposed to feel, but I don't feel it; I feel cold, hollow inside?"
- Why does Anayansi decide she has to make her own altar?
- What does she realize?
Note: *Time allowing, replay the podcast having students draw and color what they hear, inspiring them creatively as they prepare to create their own altar.
- Continue the slideshow, sharing different styles of altars and discussing what the art in the altars communicates. Discussion prompts could be:
- What are you learning about Mexican cultural values?
- How do you feel about this tradition?
- Can you see how this could benefit the living? Or the dead?
- Is there any part of the tradition you can imagine adopting? Explain.
[20+ minutes]
[Learning objectives 2, 5, 8, 9]
Procedures:
- Invite students to think about the role of art (music, costume, painting, cooking, etc.) in communicating culture and values. Have students reflect and discuss how the traditions and icons of this celebration convey Mexican values.
- Tell students that they will all be creating their own altars and take time before the next class to think about who they want to memorialize: a person? a pet? And ask them to begin to imagine an altar for that being. What they could bring to the altar that would represent that being. Have them make a list of things they want to put in their altar. (Depending on what they are making the altars with (see Appendix B below), this can range from images of things to actual objects.)
- Provide them guidelines to their creative project. This is independent work. (Remind them of the message in Anayansi Diaz-Cortez's podcast about needing to create your own altar - that it is a personal journey.) Consider:
- What materials are available to make the altars? (paper, a shoe box, a shadow box, or the table altar) (See Appendix B)
- Determine how they will share their work and give and receive peer feedback. (See Assessment Strategies)
- Have students share their altars with each other and discuss what they represent. Do they focus on loss, grief and sorrow or are their altars more of a celebration of life and the person who lived it?
- Showcase student work. Options include:
- Zoom (breakout rooms)
- Canvas (discussion forums)
- Flipgrid (create and share student videos)
- Padlet (create a board where students can pin their work and leave comments for peers)
- Digital Video (create and share videos using digital storytelling software, e.g. Adobe Spark)
- Google Drive (use Google slides in a Google folder)
VIDEO:
The Book of Life - [1 hour 35 minutes] A 2014 animated movie that includes a Day of the Dead celebration. The journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears.
PODCAST:
How James Bond Created a Mexican Dia de los Muertos Tradition [31 minutes]
LITERATURE:
Can't Look Away by Donna Cooner - Sixteen-year-old Torrey has become quite well-known for her fashion and beauty video blog. However, she is plagued with guilt over the fact that her little sister was killed by a drunk driver after an argument between the two girls. When Torrey's family moves from Colorado to Texas she finds the transition to a new school difficult. On one hand she begins to join the ultra-popular set and on the other is drawn to Luis, who is not accepted by the leader of this crowd. Luis brings Torrey into his family's Day of the Dead traditions, which helps her cope with the loss of her sister. Ultimately, Torrey must decide what means more to her: popularity or treating true friends with respect.
The Tequila Worm by Viola Canales - A semi-autobiographical story about Sofia, a Mexican-American teen who has grown up in a Latino neighborhood in South Texas. Her excellent work in school earns her a scholarship to attend a prestigious, and mainly white, boarding school over 300 miles away from her family. Much of the novel centers on Sofia's efforts to convince her parents to let her attend this school. Throughout the novel, family traditions and celebrations are described, including those connected with the Day of the Dead. There's lots of humor in this novel, yet it also covers serious ground including discrimination, the difficulty of separation from family and death.
Module 2 - Culture and Science Around the Monarch Butterfly
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Introduction
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Curriculum Map
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Lesson Plan
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Arts Integration Projects
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Dig Deeper
The Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) celebration occurs at the same time as the annual Monarch butterfly migration in Mexico - October into early November. According to traditional belief, the Monarchs are the souls of ancestors. Monarch populations are in huge decline in recent years. Local artist and educator Noemi Hernandez-Balcazar makes Monarch butterfly art with her students because it opens an opportunity to talk about culture, heritage, and conservation to help save these important pollinators. Activities and supplemental materials further engage students in environmental conservation, science, artistic expression and activism.
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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
In this module, students will:
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MATERIALS
Suggested Reading: |
This unit is organized around the Day of the Dead and Monarch Butterfly video presentations. It can be taught as one 4-hour learning experience, or in modules that combine as few or many of the activities as time allows. It is designed to be taught in the order below:
- 35 minutes: Launch activity - Pre-viewing - Researching the Monarch Butterfly
- 20 minutes: While Viewing - Learning About the Culture and Science Around the Monarch Butterfly
- 15 minutes: Post-viewing - Discussing and Synthesizing
- 60+ minutes: Demonstration - Monarch Population Decline: Data Interpretation and Habitat Loss
- 50 minutes: Making Connections - Arts Integration Project 1 - Conservation: Growing Milkweed to Protect the Monarchs
- 60 minutes: Making Connections - Arts Integration Project 2 - Giving Monarchs a Voice
[35 minutes]
[Learning Objectives 1, 3]
Procedures:
- Monarch butterflies across North America migrate annually to breeding grounds in Central Mexico. Their spectacular migration coincides with the Day of the Dead celebration each year. Mexican people believe the monarchs carry the souls of departed loved ones home to visit for a short time during the celebrations. Unfortunately, this tradition, and the monarchs themselves, are in danger of extinction.
- In this module we learn why monarch populations are in huge decline and why their annual migration is threatened. We will understand why monarchs are important within our ecosystem, and the cultural traditions of Day of the Dead in Mexico. We will also consider how art, science, and awareness may save these endangered butterflies.
- Accessing Prior Knowledge: Ask students: "What do you know about butterflies in general?" "How many species of butterflies are across the world? (17,500) ...in the U.S.? (750)
- Research: Give students the "Monarch butterfly characteristics" worksheet. Give them 10 minutes to work independently or in pairs in breakout rooms using the PBS NatureWorks article. Ask them to fill the first five columns of their worksheet: Range, Habitat, Diet, Lifecycle, Behavior. Let them know they will have a chance to complete the last column later in the lesson.
- What Did You Learn?: In a class discussion, ask students:
- Monarchs use advertising coloration. What is this? (Answer: Using color to either warn or attract - e.g. flowers' bright colors attract pollinators like bees and hummingbirds.)
- What is the monarch's defense system? (Answer: Eating milkweed allows them to store alkaloids that make them smell horrible to predators.)
- Open up the discussion to what else students learned.
[20 minutes]
[Learning Objectives 3, 5]
Procedures:
- Play video Día de los Muertos and the Monarch Butterfly [2:46 minutes] (It is the second video at the top of this page) and listen to Noemi discuss how the monarch butterfly relates to the Day of the Dead celebration.
- Give each student a link to a graphic organizer or cluster map. In the middle circle have them write "monarch butterfly" and label the surrounding circles: "migration", "life cycle", "super generation" and "interesting details".
- Play the PBS video Unraveling the Monarch Butterfly Migration Mystery (10:15 minutes)
- Pause as appropriate so students can fill in their graphic organizer
[15 minutes]
[Learning Objectives 1, 3, 4, 5, 9]
Procedures:
- Put students into small groups breakout rooms to discuss "interesting details" they learned.
- Reconvene as a class and discuss. Why are monarch butterflies important in Mexican culture?
- How are the monarchs related to Day of the Dead?
- What is the monarch migration route?
- What interesting details did you learn about the monarch migration? Habitat?
- What makes the super generation of monarchs different from other generations?
- What did you learn about how monarchs navigate and find their way to Mexico and back? What do genetics have to do with it?
- What is fascinating and unique about the monarchs' antennae?
- What plant is essential to the survival of the monarchs?
- Open up the discussion for students to as questions and share other "interesting details" they learned.
[60+ minutes]
[Learning Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Procedures:
Data Interpretation
- Have students access their "monarch butterfly characteristics" worksheet and fill in the sixth column, "causes for population decline." Show students a map of the migratory pattern. Migration Map
- Ask students: "What do you think could have caused this massive population decline in monarch butterflies?"
- Share your screen and click on Save Our Monarchs. As a class, read this short article on the causes of monarch population decline. Have students add the causes to the sixth column of their worksheet: (ie. habitat destruction, pollinator-killing pesticides, milkweed-killing herbicides, urban development, illegal logging of the oyamel firs, and extreme weather conditions.)
- Distribute the data set (Appendix A) and have students create a graph of their choice - a visual representation of the monarchs overwintering in Mexico since 1994-95.
- Options: paper and pencil, Excel spreadsheet graph, or have students create an infographic poster around the data using easel.ly or Piktochart.
- Have students either submit or showcase their work.
Monarch Habitat Loss
- Tell students that the monarchs depend on the Biosphere Refuge in Michoacán, Mexico. This is a sanctuary for millions of monarchs who spend the winter here, mate and prepare for the journey back north. Remind them of the scene in the film where there were so many monarchs it looked like the trees were made of butterflies.
- Unfortunately, this habitat is threatened for a few reasons:
- Climate Change - Scientists are concerned that the oyamel tree habitat in the Reserve will shrink or disappear by the end of the 21st century, mainly due to climate change. Furthermore, the butterfly's reproductive development - and development across all life stages - is triggered by temperature. The climate affects the butterfly's body temperature, which helps it find a mate, increase fecundity (fertility), and lay eggs. Climate change has already had a significant impact on the monarch's primary food source: milkweed. Milkweed Photo
- Conflict of Interest - The Reserve is a very large protected area (2,800 square miles). Some people want the land for farming, logging and other uses toward commercial development. Others want to protect it for the monarchs. Two Mexican conservationists were recently murdered. You can read more here.
- Ask students what they think could be done to resolve the situation. How can everyone make a living, while keeping the monarchs protected?
- Time allowing, stage a debate where part of the class represents loggers and farmers who want the land and resources to make a living, and the other half of the class are conservationists who see the need to protect the habitat for the monarch. Can they find a solution that works for everyone?
- Have students watch this video (6:45 minutes) that tells the history of the discovery of the sanctuary with interviews of locals who talk about local people's land conservation model.
[45 minutes]
[Learning Objectives 3, 4, 5, 6]
Procedures:
- Topic: Conservation efforts to help the declining numbers of monarchs.
- Ask students to share any examples of conservation efforts they are aware of or have been a part of.
- Post the following bullets into the chat and have students volunteer to read aloud:
- Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains are teetering on the edge of extinction, with the number wintering down more than 90 percent from the 1980s.
- Monarchs depend on a diminishing supply of milkweed plants for reproduction and food. The western population has fallen to about 300,000 from 10 million less than four decades ago.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering giving monarch butterflies Endangered Species Act protections - set to be decided December 2020.
- According to a study published in the scientific journal Biological Conservation, the migratory monarchs of the western United States have a 63% chance of extinction in 20 years and 84% chance in 50 years, if current trends continue.
- Scientists believe declines in U.S. monarch populations are linked to human development that has wiped out their habitats, as well as the destruction of roosting forests in California and Mexico, climate change and farmers' increasing use of pesticides that kill milkweed plants and other native vegetation.
- Tell students, "The good news is that word is getting out on the need to protect the monarch butterfly. In 2015, President Barack Obama released a plan for a 1,500 mile "monarch highway" (share your screen and scroll through the site showing them the map and how it follows Interstate 35 from Minnesota to Mexico). It also has a few other names such as "monarch motorway" or the "pollinator highway." Invite them to a 1-minute chatstorm to answer "why do you think it is called the "pollinator highway?"
- The effort is on planting milkweed along this long route. (Monarchs cannot survive without milkweed; their caterpillars only eat milkweed plants, and monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs.) Share that monarchs are like super athletes: typically, they fly 50 to 100 miles a day - one tagged butterfly even covered a mind-boggling 265 miles in a day.
- Many people are working together and planting milkweed along the corridor across state boundaries. They are also speaking out about the importance of organic farming that protects native plants.
- Share an excerpt from blogger Marina Richie, who came up with an analogy between monarch butterflies and ultra-marathoners: "While only a fraction of people can achieve running distances of 50 to 100 miles at a time, any one of us can cheer them on, help them fuel up, and see the athletes to the finish line. For monarchs, it's a life or death journey. Our actions matter, and can be as small as planting a patch of milkweed. Start stitching together all those patches and the butterflies will find their vital resting and feeding stops."
- Introduce the video How to Create Your Own Butterfly Rest Stop by telling students that to help protect the monarchs as they migrate, citizens in the U.S. are resorting to a simple yet powerful tool: gardening. Gardens full of milkweed and nectar plants can serve both as rest stops for adult monarchs and as nurseries for their eggs.
- Give students the following list of questions to answer as they watch. Tell them to be prepared to share their responses:
- What does monarch conservationist Nicole Hamilton mean when she says that going to the Reserve and seeing the migration makes you realize how small we are?
- How is the monarch an iconic species of America?
- What does entomologist Lincoln Brower, mean when he says that the monarch is the "canary in the corn field"?
- Why should people raise only monarch caterpillars that are wild found?
- What does the monarch conservationist mean when he says, "We can't herbicide everything into a monoculture"?
- Have students share their answers in breakout rooms or as a class.
Take Action! Grow Milkweed!
- Ask students whether they think they could help and grow milkweed to save the monarchs. Tell them about a project that is going on in Utah, where youth-in-care at the Decker Lake facility successfully grew 250 milkweed plants:
- Let them know who they can contact if they want free seeds and/or guidance:
- Jennifer Dowd: rae.enviro.inc@gmail.com Utah Monarch Advocates. She leads RAE Environmental, and the Western Monarch Pollinator Pathways efforts. Contact for educational resources for teachers (Free milkweed seeds and planting guide!) who want to get involved.
- Rachel Taylor: rtaylor@grnslc.com She teaches workshops for Red Butte Garden, Swaner Nature Preserve and Osher Lifelong Learning (University of Utah)
- Share the following milkweed plant project resources. Get involved! #MilkweedChallenge
- How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop
- Comed Monarch Butterfly Milkweed Project
- How to Make a Monarch Butterfly Hair Clip
How to Raise Monarchs:
- Step-by-step detailed how-to video: How to Raise a Caterpillar Into a Butterfly
- Teaching About the Monarch
[60 minutes]
[Learning Objectives 4, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Procedures:
- Introduce the activity: You will each write a descriptive story from the monarch butterfly's perspective while they migrate from Canada to the Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.
- The story may come from the monarch's first person voice or may have a third person perspective of an observer. The story should be detailed, include facts, and reflect what students have learned throughout the unit. Remind them that descriptive writing should leave a picture formed in the reader's mind, and involves paying close attention to the details by using all five senses: "on this migration journey, what would the monarch see, hear, smell, feel, taste?" Consider the fact that the monarchs will arrive in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration.
- Introduce science communication as the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of, and increasing the sense of wonder about science-related topics. The communication of science takes many forms, from written articles in newspapers, magazines and blogs to podcasts and standing in front of a non-expert audience to give a lecture, etc.
- Using the Monarch Butterfly Story Cluster Map, have students identify three audiences to share their story with, increasing awareness of the monarch butterfly's dire situation.
- Have students share their stories with their peers and targeted audience and report any feedback.
- Have students share either or both:
- A plan for growing milkweed; or documentation of their garden project
- Their monarch migration stories with their peers and targeted audiences. Have them report any feedback
- Showcase student work. Options include:
- Zoom (breakout rooms)
- Canvas (discussion forums)
- Flipgrid (create and share student videos)
- Padlet (create a board where students can pin their work and leave comments for peers)
- Digital Video (create and share videos using digital storytelling software, e.g. Adobe Spark)
- Google Drive (use Google slides or a Google folder)
LITERATURE:
- Flight Behavior - A novel by Barbara Kingsolver (published 2012)
ARTICLES:
VIDEO:
- Trailer for Flight of the Butterflies, an IMAX documentary on the topic
- Why is the Very Hungry Caterpillar so Dang Hungry? | PBS
- Day of the Dead - Monarch Butterfly Migration to Michoacán, Mexico
WEBSITES:
Links to highly reputable organizations and their educational resources:
- Monarch Joint Venture: Teaching About the Magnificent Monarch
- Monarch Joint Venture: Resources and Downloads
- U.S. Forest Service - Monarch Butterfly Teacher and Student Resources
- World Wildlife Fund - Monarch Toolkit
- National Wildlife Federation - The Monarch Mission
- World Heritage Convention - Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
BLOG POSTS:
About the Milkweed and Monarch Project out of the University of Utah:
GET INVOLVED:
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
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CONTACT
Lost & Found
Utah Cultural Celebration Center: 801-963-3305 West Valley Performing Arts Center: 801-965-5140 West Valley Arts
3333 Decker Lake Drive West Valley City, UT 84119 801-965-5140 |
VENUE ADDRESSES
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