Know Before You Go

Monarch Mural Restoration

Nat Hab helped fund the restoration of a historic mural in the town of Angangueo, which is a stopping point on our monarch butterfly adventures. Because monarchs are so integral to the community’s present and future, they were made a central focus of the piece, with paintings of the colorful butterflies entwined throughout the mural. Artistic renditions of Angangueo through the ages portray the haciendas of the early farming days, the town’s proud heritage as a mining outpost, and its current prominence as an epicenter for butterfly conservation travel. Silver and copper mining was once the driving force of the economy, which slowly dwindled after the mid-20th century until the establishment of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The influx of ecotourism in the municipality has created a source of income for many local people who find employment as guides, rangers, and workers in the hospitality industry. The mural, which had faded and degraded after decades on display, was vivified with a full-scale restoration completed by local artists.

Monarch Butterfly Scholarship Grant

 Each year, we extend an award to two qualified environmental educators who are each given the opportunity to journey with us on our Kingdom of the Monarchs adventure in Central Mexico. Millions of butterflies descend on the oyamel fir forests each winter, and this scholarship offers the rare chance to visit the monarch roosting sites and learn more about this astounding phenomenon. Traveling on foot and by horseback, the grant recipients explore sanctuaries and witness firsthand the local economic benefits of butterfly ecotourism during their stay in a traditional mountain village. Guiding the small group are our naturalist Expedition Leaders who possess a wealth of knowledge and give us insight into World Wildlife Fund’s work in the area. After experiencing the wonder of the monarch butterfly migration for themselves, teachers are able to take these lessons back to their classrooms to inspire future generations of conservation champions.

Local School Visits

Our tour groups participate in a cultural exchange during a visit to a local school in the small mountain hamlet of Angangueo. Guests get a chance to practice Spanish in the classroom as the students practice their English. The kids often create paper butterflies to send back to the United States with our travelers to be handed out to children there. Just as the monarchs migrate between Mexico and the United States, this interaction sparks a migration of ideas surrounding conservation education. Drawing and receiving pictures of the monarchs fosters a connection to nature and practicing language skills encourages a cross-cultural dialogue to emerge in younger generations on how to protect this beloved butterfly.

Donations for Local Community Conservation Efforts

Nat Hab makes a donation to WWF Mexico of $5 for each guest who travels with us on a monarch trip. This helps support local conservation initiatives. The small amount adds up quickly due to the number of travelers we bring! One nonprofit organization that has received some of these funds is Danaidas, which produces seedlings for 11 community forest nurseries in the area. Forests in and surrounding the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve are threatened due to illegal logging and encroaching agriculture, and nonprofits such as Danaidas strive to restore these vital sanctuaries and recover the ecological integrity of the land through reforestation work. Donations have recently been used to purchase field boots for the nursery workers, which allow them to work comfortably during the rainy planting season. Guests can see the seedlings outside El Rosario Sanctuary during their adventure.

Supporting Local Business That Give Back

We provide organic shower products to guests in our accommodations in Angangueo through a company called Cosméticos de Mazunte, whose soaps and creams support sea turtle conservation in the seaside Mexican town of Mazunte. Located on the Pacific coast of southern Mexico, Mazunte’s beaches and mangroves are important nurseries for wildlife. 

This was once the heart of Oaxaca’s sea turtle hunting industry, but once the sale of turtle meat and eggs was banned in Mexico, families began looking for a new source of income. Sustainable tourism based around preserving the sea turtles’ nesting sites has since developed, and the town’s main attractions now include the National Mexican Turtle Center along with Cosméticos de Mazunte, whose products contain all-natural ingredients such as coconut oil, beeswax, aloe vera, avocado, lemon, lavender, rose, mint, chamomile, cocoa and eucalyptus. The cosmetic company provides jobs to locals and inspires community members to replicate its successful sustainable model. Mazunte’s economy stands as an example of how environmentally damaging practices can be reconfigured toward those that are mutually beneficial for people and wildlife.