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There have been three recorded sightings this year on April 27, May 11 and May 12.  It would appear that these are a few early arrivals at the park this year as reports are that milkweed is still not up yet in the area.

For more information about Point Pelee click here.

We are proud to have had the fortune of taking Caroline and her groups of teachers to the monarch sanctuaries and look forward to future opportunities.  Congratulations Caroline and keep up the wonderful work!

The following article is from the Cumberland Times-News and is republished here with permission.

April 22, 2011

Park Service ranger recipient of Environmental Education Award

Blizzard honored by Appalachian Lab

For the Cumberland Times-News Cumberland Times-News The Cumberland Times-News Fri Apr 22, 2011, 10:50 PM EDT

— FROSTBURG — Maryland Park Service Ranger Caroline Blizzard is the recipient of the 2011 Richard A. Johnson Environmental Education Award for helping elevate environmental stewardship and understanding throughout Western Maryland.

Blizzard was selected for the honor by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Appalachian Laboratory.

The award was presented Thursday evening at the lab by its director, Robert Gardner. The annual award recognizes local citizens for their outstanding contributions to environmental education and was presented to Blizzard for her work at the Deep Creek Lake State Park Discovery Center and her personal contributions to local schools and civic organizations.

“Caroline has set a new high-water mark when it comes to engaging others about the need to conserve and protect our natural resources,” said Gardner. “Her passion and leadership has helped bring the natural world into the lives of thousands of local residents and park visitors every year.”

Blizzard has spent a lifetime helping area residents and visitors better understand and appreciate nature. Whether through her work as a certified interpretive guide, directing the Discovery Center or developing the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, Blizzard has long been a regional leader in the environmental education field.

Since 2004, she has directed the Discovery Center and its interpretive programming and education programs. She and her team have worked hard to make the center a frequent destination spot and hub for people to enjoy and learn about nature around Deep Creek Lake.

“Caroline is an invaluable asset to our agency, to our state and to the thousands of visitors to Deep Creek Lake,” said DNR Secretary John Griffin, “Through her dedication to the Maryland Park Service and natural resources education, visitors can better relate to — and appreciate — what makes our state unique.”

As a monarch ambassador, Blizzard has helped establish monarch butterfly “way stations” at area schools where students annually tag and release more than 800 butterflies and learn about their migration  to butterfly sanctuaries in Mexico. Blizzard photographs the butterflies in Mexico to create lessons for the classrooms. This year, teachers traveled with her to directly link the classrooms via Internet video, pen pal letters and on-site visits.

Her nature photography can be viewed around the area in various venues, including the Four Storm Artists Gallery that she founded along with her family. She is also involved with numerous area organizations, including the Garrett Natural History Association, Garrett Trails, the American Cancer Society and several local civic and garden clubs.

The award honors the memory of Richard A. Johnson, a well-known orthopedic surgeon in the Allegany County area who died in 1990, leaving a legacy of a caring and dedicated physician, family man and naturalist. It provides $1,500 to support environmental education activities, which this year will go to the Western Garrett County State Park Volunteers.

An endowed fund to support the Johnson Award has been established at the University System of Maryland Foundation. Contributors include AES Western Maryland Management Co. LLC, Allegheny Power, NewPage Corp., Mettiki Coal Corp. and numerous private citizens and other organizations.

As many may have heard or even experienced first hand with us, weather during the 2010 butterfly season was particularly hard on the monarch sanctuaries around Angangueo.  Although we had tremendous showings during the 2010 season, numbers were a little down.  Weather for the 2011 season was much improved and, as you can see from some of our “butterfly blizzard” photos, the monarch butterfly population appeared to be up by comparison.  We noted in two sanctuaries that the monarchs chose identical resting areas as they did in 2003 after the poor weather and tremendous losses during the 2002 season.

April 10, 2010 Migration Map

April 10, 2011 Migration Map

A quick review of the migration tracking map for the week of April 11, 2010 compared to the map for this year serves as further evidence that the monarchs did indeed recuperate during their sojourn in 2011.  Whereas at this time in 2010 there were minimal sightings not quite as far north as the central US, this year shows what appears to be about double the sightings as far north as southern Illinois.

This is great news for the 2012 butterfly season as the monarch population promises to be strong and numerous.  We are already looking forward to a tremendous season.  If you have not yet experienced the monarch butterfly sanctuaries contact us and make it happen!  We will be in our eleventh year in 2012 and, with a brand new itinerary and a promising butterfly population, we hope to make it our best year yet.

See all of the tour details here.

Take a look at our tours and contact us to reserve…

Monarch Butterfly Cultural Tour – A week-long excursion from Morelia, to Paricutin Volcano, Patzcuaro, and of course, the monarch sanctuaries. Click here.

Monarch Butterfly City Tour – A 5-day trip including the sights of Morelia and the monarch sanctuaries. Click here.

Mexico City, Magic Town and Monarch Butterfly Tour – Mexico City plus three monarch sanctuaries culminating in one of the most charming towns in Mexico.  Click here.

On this tour guests have a hands-on experience assisting local sea turtle protection organizations to collect turtle eggs, transport them to the hatchery, count and assist with newly hatched baby turtles and finally release baby sea turtles into the Pacific.  Not only is this a rewarding experience, but Rocamar gives a donation to each of these organizations on behalf of each of our guests.

Apart from the unforgettable sea turtle beaches, guests experience an active volcano, boating through mangrove swamps, snorkeling off a small island and pelican sanctuary and one of Mexico’s great artisan centers Tlaquepaque.  This is an ideal trip for families.

Space is limited, book now!

Our newest tour, The Monarch Butterfly and Magic Town Tour, was as interesting and enjoyable as we had hoped and will be offered in two different versions for the 2012 season.  Stay tuned for all the details on this trip.

Our next upcoming trip will be our Sea Turtle Migration Tour on Mexico’s beautiful Pacific coast.  This is an unforgettable experience for any nature enthusiast and a great compliment to our migration themed tours.  Book now as we are expecting this tour to fill up for 2011!

Milkweed, the monarch butterfly’s most sought-after plant for feeding and laying their eggs, is only just starting to sprout in our area, Ottawa, the nation’s capital.  Sprouts are just starting to get leaves, so we were not anticipating any monarchs for at least a week yet.

Finally yesterday, just south of Ottawa, we spotted our first monarchs of the season.  There was one male and one female, bright orange and quite small, indicating that they were born on the return migration of the sanctuaries in Mexico.

Our last day at the monarch sanctuaries this season was March 9^th.  Compared to only two days prior there were significantly less monarchs; it was evident that some of the colonies were starting their return voyage.  Despite apparently unseasonal weather patterns, eleven weeks have passed and their migration is coming to an end.

The monarchs we saw yesterday have never been to Mexico’s sanctuaries, nor will they migrate there this fall.  Yet, in only a few short generations they will make their way south, likely crossing into the US near Point Peele, Ontario and then into Mexico through Eagle Pass or maybe McAllen, Texas.

If you haven’t experienced this incredible natural phenomenon with us yet, don’t hesitate!  We have a number of planned tours already for the 2011 season, but they are filling up fast.  If you have a date in mind that you would like to travel, contact us for availability.

See the full AP article here.

Our guests spend time with the Colola Beach program where it is estimated that 70% of the world’s black sea turtles originate.  During our time with them we will release in excess of 900 hatchlings and collect an additional 800 to 1,200 eggs.  The people at Colola Beach dedicate 100% of their time to the sea turtle effort throughout the year and are truly making a difference to populations.  The University of Michoacan calculates nesting rates to be up as much as 30% over the past 20 years!

You can join us as we help in their efforts on our  Sea Turtle Migration Tour.

We are very excited about this new five-day tour.  Travel with us through the scenic Mexican mountainside as we visit Sierra Chincua, Cerro Pelon and Piedra Herrada monarch sanctuaries.  A great addition to our tours is time spent in Valle de Bravo - with incredible shopping and restaurants, beautiful traditional architecture and a scenic lake, it is definitely worth some time.

With pick-up and drop-off in Mexico City, the monarch sanctuaries are more accessible than ever!

Click here for all the details or contact us to book now!