Sheila Boone is a naturalist and internationally recognized long time Western Monarch butterfly activist who has received the prestigious National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution National Conservation Medal and Environmental Award. Ms. Boone wrote and submitted a resolution to the California Legislative Director for a California Western Monarch Day Bill which was introduced by California Senator Bruce McPherson ( current California Secretary of State ). Passing unanimously, Ms Boone wanted the Bill to bring general public awareness to the existence of the Western Monarch butterflies declining numbers and major over-wintering habitats and to recognize the efforts of habitat docents, educators, students and many others who work to preserve and protect America's Western Monarch butterflies declining migrations. " It is very important that the language of the Bill specifically states and recognizes the contributions of thousands of youth, students in California and across the US who are involved in Monarch conservation & preservation programs, planting milkweed, planting school, private and public butterfly gardens helping to insure the future existence and continuation of the Western Monarch's endangered migratory phenomenon, before they go the way of the Carrier Pigeon. The migrations cannot be re-created and the students are doing and incredible job and deserve recognition "said Ms. Boone. California Western Monarch Day was designated every February 5th.
Sheila Boone comes from a long line of iconoclastic American Pioneers, being at the same time on both sides of the family a direct descendant and 5th-great-granddaughter of Daniel Boone. " I got a double dose of genetics as cousins married " she comments. She was born and spent her childhood at the end of the Oregon Trail, living on the Alsea River near Waldport, Oregon not far from where George Luther Boone settled on "Boone's Point", Yaquina Bay, Newport, Oregon. From her earliest years on the Northwest's rugged Oregon coast, she would be a naturalist, a child of nature, a trait much in common with her heritage. Her mother, a self-educated botanist taught her latin names of native plants and the importance of nature.
A business woman, wife, mother, caregiver, professional photographer, author and lyricist, Sheila has an overwhelming desire to bring children closer to nature. In particular, to focus international attention to the existence and plight of the endangered Western Monarch butterflies migration and major regular over-wintering habitats on California's Pacific Coast; the largest and the world's only habitats of the Western Monarch butterfly in the Continental United States; as important an environmental treasure for all of our children, families and students to experience and visit as the California Redwood Forest.
The vision of Sheila Boone is the creation of a magnificent Butterfly Palace featuring the protection of the Western Monarch butterflies by sponsoring programs of public awareness, education and research. The Daniel Butterfly Palace, a live butterfly conservatory would house the finest live tropical butterfly rain forest dome ever to be dedicated to environmental study, conservation and preservation of butterflies and their habitats in the world. Sitting on the active Board are the greatest entomologists and butterfly scientists in the world.
The Western Monarch Butterfly & Rare Butterfly Public Education and Information Research Center and live butterfly conservatory will bring nature close-up to millions of eco-tourists to the Central Coast of California.
Sheila Boone, author of the Bill designating each Feb 5th as California Western Monarch Day, dedicated the Bill to California school students and students across the US who study and celebrate the western monarch butterflies annual endangered retrun migration each year to over-winter on California's Coast, plant milkweed and butterfly gardens.