California Senator, Bruce McPherson & Sheila Boone

Copyright S. Boone Productions, Siamak Sehat , photographer

 

 DAN'L BOONE KIN PRESENTED WITH  WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY DAY BILL

Sheila Boone, naturalist and a long time Western Monarch butterfly activist drafted and submitted a resolution for a

California Western Monarch Day to California Legislative Director, James Jack in November 03.

Ms. Boone is the 5th great grand daughter & direct descendant of Daniel Boone. She stated " everyone needs to know about the

American Western Monarch butterflies major regular over-wintering habitats located on the West Coast of California; they are a

spectacular environmental treasure for everyone to visit and experience." The Bill was introduced by former CA Senator and

current California Secretary of State, Bruce McPherson and presented to Boone on October 29, 2004. 

The Bill was co-authored by Senators, Alpert, Bowen, Ducheny, Romero, Scott and Vasconcellos) and Assembly Members Bates, Benoit, Bermudez,

Jackson, Kehoe, Laird, Leiber, Maze, Pacheco and Runner). The Bill passed unanimously and officially designated Feb 5th of every year as

CA Western Monarch Day. " I wanted the language of the Bill to be dedicated to the educators and to the thousands of students in

California and across the US who study and celebrate the annual return of the migratory monarch butterfly.

The science of  Western Monarch butterfly education has been taught to students, youth groups and other organizations

( who are planting milkweed plants a host plant needed for the Monarch butterflies survival ) by teachers for many years.

Senior citizens, gardeners, civic groups and many others are helping students to plant school, community, private, public, urban gardens,

butterfly & flower pollination gardens. Students are also involved in habitat restoration.

The California Senate and Assembly have recognized the teachers, youth and other groups for their contributions and incredible effort to the

need to care for the continued existence of the Western Monarch butterflies migration; an endangered phenomenon. " said Sheila Boone.

 

Every fall thousands of Western Monarch butterflies fly several thousand miles from as far north as Canada, to over-winter on the California Central Coast in groves of cypress, pine and eucalyptus trees. In the spring they will fly north.  In recent years there has been a 75% decline in the number of Western Monarch butterflies which return.

CALIFORNIA WESTERN MONARCH DAY BILL

Boone stated " The Bill will give wide general public recognition and awareness of the existence of the world's only remaining major regular over-wintering habitats of migratory Western monarch butterflies located on the California Coast. I hope it will raise public interest enough to 

 protect the Western Monarch butterfly and its major habitats forever." Boone continues to seek land to build a live butterfly conservatory and Western  Monarch & Rare Butterfly Research Center in California.

 

 "The California legislature and Senator Bruce McPherson have shown great courage as responsive public servants. The passing of the Bill is a major environmental accomplishment for the Western Monarch butterfly. Until the general public knows about the existence of the Western monarch butterflies and the need to preserve and restore the few remaining major migratory habitats on the California coast, their habitats will continue to be lost ." Boone stated. Dr. Lincoln  Brower, known as the world's greatest monarch butterfly scientist and for the discovery of the eastern monarch butterflies over-wintering habitats in Mexico stated in a letter to Boone  ( home page ( http://www.butterflyplace.org/  ) , " The  probability of losing the over-wintering sites in  Mexico, will leave California as a sole guardian of the North American American migration. " Nearly 270 million eastern monarch's perished in freezing temperatures following the cutting of Mexico's forests. Scientists estimate there are now less than one million migrating Western Monarch butterflies.

 

 

Official  Statement for Sacramento Media Advisory

 

I' am the 5th great grand daughter & direct descendant of Daniel Boone, a naturalist and  President of The Butterfly Palace, Inc. a non-profit http://www.butterflypalace.org/ whose goals and mission are to create general public awareness of the world's only major ( over 50,000 butterflies per habitat ) over-wintering habitats ( from October - March )  of the migratory western monarch butterflies on the California Coast. I submitted a draft resolution to recognize the thousands of Ca school children who plant butterfly gardens, milkweed ,study and celebrate the annual returning monarch butterfly migration.  I greatly appreciate the introduction and co-authoring of the California Western Monarch Day Bill by Senator, Bruce McPherson,  the CA Senate and Assembly for their unanimous passage of this Bill. They have recognized one of California's greatest environmental assets. The Western Monarchs major habitats are an environmental treasure to humanity and are as important to visit as the California Redwoods. I first saw thousands of spectacular monarch butterflies completely covering the trees in Pismo Beach State Park, Pismo Beach, CA in 1994 and wondered why they were not well known to everyone. At the time, our family was suffering a major cataclysmic crisis. I know we will always need these incredible habitats; a healing gift of nature. Our non-profit donates a donor sponsored " Free As a Butterfly " educational out-reach program to schools, Army National Guard Family Support & assistance groups and other organizations. We are seeking a donor of land, here where the butterflies are.... to leave a California legacy........ the world's best tropical butterfly conservatory featuring a tropical rainforest dome with thousands of free flying live tropical butterflies and a public Western Monarch & Rare Butterfly Educational  & Research Center. ( California is known for having the world's rarest butterflies ) 

 

 

Sheila Boone