Live From One Eyed Jacks, Gloucester UK With Adventureman, The Don Juan, Rabbit, The Town Cryer, Chris Nyland and The Ice Man

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

God Save The King!

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

 

LOSS OF HABITAT, THE USE OF PESTICIDES AND HERBICIDES, AND CLIMATE CHANGE ARE HAVING A PROFOUNDLY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE BUTTERFLIES

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

It’s not just Mexico’s forests that need protecting for butterfly migration

Their route from Canada is threatened by overuse of herbicides and climate change, among other factors

Mexico News Daily

Published on Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Mexico, the United States and Canada must share responsibility for the conservation of the monarch butterfly, according to a biologist who warns that the insect’s North American migratory path is at risk of becoming a thing of the past.

Víctor Sánchez-Cordero, a researcher at the National Autonomous University’s Institute of Biology and Mexico’s lead representative on a tri-national scientific committee that studies the monarch, said that the butterflies’ route from southeastern Canada to the fir tree forests of Michoacán and México state is under threat.

He blames the excessive use of herbicides, changes in the way land is used, climate change and a reduction in the availability of nectar and pollen.

“The commitment to conserve this migratory phenomenon not only focuses on Mexico; it’s a shared responsibility between our country, Canada and the United States,” Sánchez-Cordero said.

The researcher, who along with his team developed a system to monitor the migration of the monarch, said that there is a misconception that the most important – almost exclusive – factor in ensuring the continuation of the phenomenon is the conservation of forests in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (RBMM), located about 100 kilometers northwest of Mexico City.

That idea “has placed great international pressure on Mexico,” Sánchez-Cordero said before adding that he and his team published an article in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science that shows that the decline in the number of monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico is not due to deforestation in the RBMM.

Deforestation has been drastically reduced in the past 10 years but butterfly numbers have continued to decline, he said.

“The dramatic reduction in the density of monarch butterflies that arrive at overwintering sites in Mexico doesn’t correlate with the loss of forest coverage, which shows that this factor is not responsible for the population reduction. … Other hypotheses to explain the decrease must be sought,” Sánchez-Cordero said.

One possible cause for the decline, he explained, is that the excessive use of herbicides is killing milkweed, a plant that is a main food source for monarch butterflies and on which females lay their eggs. Less nectar and pollen in the United States and Canada as a result of deforestation is another possible cause, Sánchez-Cordero said.

He added that large numbers of migrating butterflies have perished in Texas and the northeast of Mexico due to drought linked to climate change.

To conserve the migratory phenomenon of the monarch – butterflies fly some 4,500 kilometers to reach Mexican forests from Canada over the course of three to four generations – a network of conservation areas along their migration routes needs to be developed, Sánchez-Cordero said. He also said that the routes followed by the butterflies should be declared protected areas.

“A new conservation paradigm is needed. … It’s something that we [Mexico, the United States and Canada] should build together,” the researcher said.
Monarch Butterfly Seaside Habitat

SPENDING A HAPPY WEEKEND WITH MY FAMILY <3

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

Lovely long weekend with my family, cooking great dinners and long beach walks. Oh how I’ll miss my daughter when she returns to Santa Monica. All photos Liv Hauck

Me and my shadow

Something is Coming Soon

Posted on by Nichole S.

Does anyone know what is moving into this location?  It used to be a little gas station right before the East Gloucester Shaws on Eastern Ave.  They have been working hard for the last few months.

IMG_5111

 

Dinner at Minglewood a Real Treat

Posted on by Pat D

We recently had dinner at Minglewood and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes I think “bar” when I think of Minglewood, but, rest assured it’s a wonderful dinner experience. Jim enjoyed his sandwich and also treated himself to the cheesecake. My haddock had the most delicious lemon sauce! I cannot wait to go back. Bonus: it’s a Serenitee restaurant so we got points! There’s always something going on at Minglewood. Thanks Zach and staff for a delightful evening.

The Rabbit and I will be live-streaming in Gloucestershire with Adventureman tomorrow

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

#buckleyourchinstrap Rabbit!

On this transatlantic trip we may experience some unexpected turbulence😁😂🍺

We’re in the heart of the monsta!

SAFE GUARDING THE BUTTERFLIES: FILM INTERVIEW WITH JOEL MORENO ROJAS AND ELLEN SHARP FOUNDERS OF THE BUTTERFLIES AND THEIR PEOPLE PROJECT

Posted on by Kimsmithdesigns

In March I had the tremendous joy of interviewing Ellen Sharp and Joel Moreno Rojas, founders of the nonprofit organization “The Butterflies and Their People Project.” We filmed the interview from the rooftop of their hotel, JM Butterfly B&B, which is located at the base of Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly Reserve in Macheros, Mexico. Cerro Pelon is the old volcanic mountain where the Monarchs wintering home was first located by Mexican citizen scientist Catalina Aguado Trail, on January 2, 1975.  Trail was at the time working under the direction of zoologist Doctor Fred Urquhart of the University of Toronto.

Joel and Ellen are simply an amazing dynamic duo. They have built a beautiful and welcoming bed and breakfast at Cerro Pelon, the most pristine and least trafficked of Monarch sanctuaries. Largely through the conservation efforts of The Butterflies and Their People Project they have helped provide economic opportunities that have in turn dramatically reduced illegal logging and deforestation of the core protected areas of the forest.

The mission of The Butterflies and Their People Project is to “preserve the butterfly sanctuary by creating jobs for local people in forest and monarch butterfly conservation. The Butterflies & Their People Project is an Asociación Civil (non-profit organization) registered and located in the village of Macheros in the State of Mexico.”

I hope you’ll watch and will be equally as enamored of Joel and Ellen as were we. You’ll learn more about how The Butterflies and Their People Project came to be, the importance of protecting the existing Monarch Butterfly forest sanctuaries, and how jobs and economic growth go hand and hand with protecting the vitally important temperate forests of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.  And a bit about how this extraordinary couple met and began their journey in Monarch conservation.

To learn more about The Butterflies and Their People Project visit their website.

To donate to The Butterflies and Their People Go Fund Me fundraiser click here.

To learn more about and make a reservation at  JM Butterfly B and B click here.

A very important duty

Posted on by Donna Ardizzoni

PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE ON TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020.  If you do not vote, please do not complain.  If you are not sure where to vote please go to your city or town’s web page.

Scenes from Once Upon A Contest reception at Rockport Public Library

Posted on by Catherine

Here are a few photographs from the start of the Once Upon a Contest reception at Rockport Public Library on February 29, 2020.

Today is the Last day of the exhibit! You can still catch the show at Rockport Public Library–it’s open till 5pm.

@FishermenGHS: Congrats to our NEC Postseason honorees. 2x 1st Team All-Conference Marcus Montagnino. NEC All Stars JR Ella Marshall and Sophomores Zach Oliver & Byron Thomas

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

hoops

Franklin Park Zoo

Posted on by Pat D

I took myself to the Franklin Park Zoo recently because I hadn’t been there and I was in a mood to see the animals. I know there are differing opinions about the benefit (or detriment) of zoos and I understand these viewpoints, but I just love zoos. I like watching the animals and the other visitors’ reactions. And I like taking their pictures. The Franklin Park Zoo is reasonably priced ( my senior ticket was about $17) and parking is free (though I had a bit of a hard time finding the parking). It’s small-ish and easily done in a day, including travel. Maybe you’ll give it a try too. Stone Zoo next on my list! And, now that March has arrived, will it be coming in like these lions?

The Golf Course Home Guide

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Kenny MacCarthy's avatarCape Ann Home

cover

Thinking about living at one of the North Shore’s private golf clubs?  The Golf Course Home Guide is an easy way for you to receive up-to-the-minute information on pricing, size, bedrooms and the pulse of the market, all via email.

Click here and tell us where to send your free report.

Kenny MacCarthy / Bob and Sue McDermott / Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty

Photo: Homes on Lincoln Way, Turner Hill Golf Club, Ipswich MA

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