Wing Beats of Hope

Monarchs ~ our Fragile Prophets

At Villa St. Joseph Retreat & Ecology Centre in Cobourg we would always look forward to the arrival of the Monarchs in late summer and early fall. Their orange and black wings, exquisitely patterned, would be everywhere. If you walked near the Mountain Ash tree by the verandah the branches would suddenly flutter alive in a breathtaking dance of winged beauty and dazzling life.  Each year their numbers have been dwindling and we have had the sense something was deeply out of balance

The recent Mexican postings reveal that the forest hibernation colonies have once again sharply decreased. There remain only nine hibernating colonies. Last year there was a total area of 7.4 acres and this year it dropped to 2.94 acres. This is a 59% decrease in population in one year. In 1997 there was 44 acres of colonies.

Why does it matter?

Monarchs lead the most spectacular and incredible migration journey of any species, traversing thousands of kilometres navigating territory they have never seen. These iconic butterflies are key pollinators for many species besides milkweeds. And as the same habitats for monarchs, are essential for other pollinators, they are fragile prophets we need to heed. Without pollinators our own food sources will come under risk. What can we do?

What Can We Do?

There is a day of Action and Contemplation for the Monarchs and Other Imperilled Pollinators from dusk on Sunday, April 13^th (Palm Sunday) to dusk on Monday April 14^th (Rachel Carson’s death anniversary). See: http://www.makewayformonarchs.org

Monarch Waystations:   At Villa St. Joseph Ecology Centre we have left significant parts of our fields uncut to preserve the milkweeds for the nurture of monarchs .We are now a designated Monarch Waystation with signage, bearing witness. But anyone can create a designated Waystation, in a backyard, a congregational home, a church. There are lots of other plants that provide sustenance for monarchs. Check out: http://monarchwatch.org

Let us make wing beats of hope this Easter and heed our fragile prophets. Rachel Carson will surely bless us and the monarchs!

Linda Gregg, CSJ

Photo: Margaret Magee

How do we continue to connect the dots?

In May of 2012, heads turned as a series of circular signs appeared and dotted our front yard facing busy Windermere Road. The words on the signs identified some of the issues and problems facing our world today: extreme weather, pollution, health, food security, the economy. The display was inspirational and prompted us to connect the issues on the signs to climate change.

Throughout the month, we have focused on the global invitation to participate in a tangible, active manner in “connecting the dots” and making small, important changes.

The spring rains have been less than plentiful and lakes are receding. We need to think twice before soaking the lawn or washing the car. Preserve tap water that is wasted in waiting for cold water to become hot. Use this water for watering plants, etc. Shortening shower time and drying clothes on the line are other ways to save water and energy.

Although early frosts have decimated some orchards and bees are dying due to ingesting pollen laced with pesticides, we can still seek out rural markets and support local farmers who rely on our business. Produce purchased close to home is fresher and more nutritious than that which travels many miles to market.   

Although the circular signs on the lawn will disappear at the end of this week, our call to be responsible global citizens is urgently before us, calling us to action. In making local choices that help to sustain our earth, we are connecting the dots with the global community. Enjoy creating significant changes!

It all begins with seeds.

For many in our world today, the security of knowing where their next meal might come from is an unknown reality– or an unheard of luxury. As traditional farming methods are usurped by multi-nationals, the reality of food production and nature’s balance has now become skewed to project profit for the few.

In the 1990’s the World Bank advised all Third World countries to change course from “food first” to “export first” policies.[1] Yet the exports were luxury crops for the developed worlds – cotton, flowers, sugar, meat, chocolate, shrimp, and fruits. Cash crops displaced food crops. The small farm holdings which were self-sustaining became dependent on food purchase. Industrial agriculture methods were now partnered with monoculture practices and corporate monopolies began to control the food supply and the export profits.

How could the small farmer landholders give up their sovereignty in food production? It all begins with seeds. Seed is the first link in the food chain. Seed is the ultimate symbol of food security.[2]

Free seed exchange among farmers has been the foundation of maintaining food biodiversity as well as food security through millennia.[3] Yet the free trade agreements enacted, new marketing board regulations, coupled with the hybrid and GMO seeds that were proffered required expensive chemicals, pesticides and farming equipment that relied on constant oil supplies and ongoing purchases.[4] And they no longer could supply their own food needs. For indigenous and small holding farmers this resulted in punishing debt. In India alone, thousands have committed suicide.[5]

Even when food production has increased, for example in wheat, the world hunger issues were not eliminated –in large part because of inequities of distribution and the egregious economies of profit.[6] The traditional farming methods were not to blame.

Food security can only be realized if the indigenous and small-holding farmers, including women as land-holders, have the right of food sovereignty and food security. Traditional seed saving and organic agriculture hold the keys to this freedom. We each have choices to make about our food and our own way of life. For those of us living in the advantages of the “developed world” what are the moral choices we are prepared to make so that all may enjoy food security as birthright and earth-right? What seeds will we sow?

---

[1] Vandana Shiva, Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply, Cambridge, MA: South End Press, 2000, p.15, 14-15. 

[2] Ibid.,  p. 8.

[3] Ibid.,  p. 8-10.

[4] Vandana Shiva, Soil Not Oil: Environmental Justice in a Time of Climate Crisis, Brooklyn, New York: South End Press, 2008,  p. 95-96.

[5] Ibid.,  p. 10, 101.

[6] Celia Deane-Drummond, Eco-Theology, London: Darton, Long & Todd Ltd., 2008, p. 2-3.