Like her famous relative forging through the great American landscape, Sheila too must carve her way through the treacherous terrain of fund raising, politics, and daily maneuvering to push her project forward. It's not easy, she says. Her modest home is full of magazines and newspaper articles, phone numbers and pages of research, her own brown leather briefcase packed with papers, flyers and names of important contacts.
In a nutshell, her goal is to build a huge crystal palace to educate and enlighten us about the plight of the Western Monarch. Sheila wants to shine the national spotlight on this endangered butterfly that migrates to the Central Coast each year. The Butterfly Palace, she says, would house the finest live butterfly, tropical rain forest conservatory ever to be dedicated to environmental study, conservation and preservation of butterflies and their habitats. Toss in a few hotels and restaurants to create a true tourist destination and you'll come close to imagining the project she has in the works. Never mind the 90 million dollar price tag. The question she asks is, "How can we afford not to do it and risk losing the Western Monarchs altogether?"
Sheila's determination comes from her desire to bring kids closer to nature. As a young girl growing up on the rugged Oregon coastline, her fondest memories include watching silver salmon run up the Alsea River, leaping out of the misty morning water. She says she can still taste the blackberry pie she'd have for breakfast and smell the wet grass from a recent rain. Though her heart and her heritage bind her to the Northwest, Sheila's soul embraces a new love now. Every day that passes, she says, brings her one day closer to building her dream.
I watched as a feather-light butterfly danced as she spoke; a charm captured by the chain around her neck. Her pressed pink dress matched her polished nails and the wisps of blond hair that managed to escape the confines of her bun reminded me of her spirit that also seems a bit untamed. Sheila Boon is an explorer, a woman venturing into the unknown. She is a businesswoman now honoring her heritage by embracing Nature and embarking on a massive project. For her, like her beaver-capped ancestor, there is no choice but to succeed. Her dream has taken wings, like the butterfly she now tries to save.
Copyright © S. Boone Productions, Siamak
Sehat, Photographer