The Symbolic Monarch Migration project has a new home! Monarch Joint Venture is now proud to host the Symbolic Monarch Migration course on the Monarch NECTAR Hub, while continuing to collaborate closely with the team at Monarchs Across Georgia, who have coordinated this program since 2018.
Now in its 30th year, the Symbolic Monarch Migration mimics the migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico in the autumn and their return North in the spring. Students in the United States and Canada send life-sized paper butterflies south in the fall and receive different paper butterflies from participating groups in the spring, plus a letter from a student in Mexico. Each group of students in the USA and Canada also creates a beautiful Ambassador Folder as a gift for a Mexican student.
The letters from Mexican students are the result of the environmental lesson that Estela Romero delivers, along with the Ambassador Folders to schools within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. These lessons encourage the protection of the monarch and its critical habitat.
This project helps build bridges between students in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. United by the wonder of monarch butterfly migration, youth learn about cooperative conservation, as well as monarch biology. The goal is to foster connections between children in these three countries, uniting them in the future safeguarding of the monarch’s migration.
The new course on the NECTAR Hub makes participation easier than ever. It includes complete instructions, helpful videos, and downloadable templates—perfect for classrooms, homeschool groups, zoos, aquariums, nature centers, libraries, and youth programs. This project is ideal for grades K–8 and integrates art, science, geography, social studies, and Spanish language. The “course” serves as a registration platform, a central hub for information, and a space to share experiences with others. The core project processes of registration and participation are not changing.
Join us in continuing this beloved tradition of symbolic migration. Together, we can empower the next generation of conservationists and build lasting connections across borders.
🔗 Register for the Symbolic Monarch Migration: https://learn.monarchjointventure.org/courses/Symbolic-Monarch-Migration
📅 Deadline to register: October 10, 2025
📅 Deadline to mail your monarch: October 17, 2025
🎒Questions? Email us at learn@monarchjointventure.org