Upcoming in Rocheport, Mo.
ButterBike Expedition – Understanding the Monarch Migration
NOTE – this month’s talk is the THIRD Tuesday of the month. In October we’ll return to our normal second Tuesday.
Presentation by Sara Dykman
Sara Dykman has spent the year biking the migration path of the monarch butterflies, from the mountains of Mexico to the lakes of Canada. She is now on her way back south and is making a stop on the Katy Trail to share her insights with us.
Sara Dykman has been biking the monarch migration path throughout North America, sharing the status of the monarchs and their favorite food - milkweed.
Presentation by Sara Dykman, Beyond A Book Expeditions
Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017
- 7 p.m. presentation (6 p.m. Social Hour)
- lower level of the Les Bourgeois Vineyards Bistro in Rocheport, MO
- Map and Directions
Note – This month’s presentation will be the THIRD Tuesday of the month.
The Bistro Restaurant is now closed on Tuesday, but the bar will be open. You ARE welcome to come early, bring some food and gather with friends before the presentation. Speaker Series attendees are welcome after 5 p.m.
Presentation is FREE and open to the public!
Join us for a special presentation with a very special woman. Sara Dykman has spent the year biking the migration path of monarch butterflies, 11,000 miles from the mountains of Mexico to the lakes of Canada and back. She is now on her way back south and is making a stop on the Katy Trail to share her insights with us.
Monarchs in Michoacan hit the air after a winter of hunkering down in the oyamel fir forests. photo by Sara Dykman, Beyond A Book Expeditions.
Folks are invited to come learn about the great migration, hear stories from the road, check out her bike set up, and learn how they can be part of the migration too.
The goal of Butterbike is to connect folks to the migration and encourage everyone living with the monarch to share their yards and provide habitat for the yearly visitors. By planting native plants for the adults to nectar on and milkweed plants for the caterpillars, the monarch is a wonderful way to link our lives to nature, science, and conservation. The monarch migration has suffered dramatic declines in recent years and a national effort is underway to maintain populations and give future generations the opportunity to see the monarchs and marvel at their amazing journey.
Besides presentations to schools and the general public, Sara is also writing a blog, posting photos, and making fun, educational (and recently award-winning!) videos. She continues to be inspired by the diversity of the planet and the passion of folks working to protect it.
Learn more about ButterBike at www.beyondabook.org. Follow Sara on Facebook @beyondabook
About Sara
Sara divides her time between working seasonal amphibian and reptile jobs, teaching outdoor education, and going on adventures. She created Beyond A Book, to act as an umbrella to include all her education-linked adventures, which besides Butterbike include a source to sea canoe trip on the Missouri and Mississippi River and a 49 state bicycle tour. She has also biked from Bolivia to Texas, and walked from Mexico to Canada. Originally from Kansas City, she is inspired by the ever growing community of Missouri River and wildlife (including monarchs!) supporters and enthusiasts.
The map showing Sara Dykman’s route following the monarch butterfly migration by bike.
Directions
- 14020 W. Hwy BB, Rocheport, MO
- Take I-70 to the Rocheport, MO, exit (Exit #115). It’s the first exit east of the Missouri River.
- Head north toward Rocheport.
- After about a mile, turn left at the sign for Les Bourgeois Bistro. Follow the signs to the Bistro. You will probably need to park in the lot above the Bistro and walk the trail down.
- The presentations are held in upstairs in the restaurant. The restaurant is no longer open on Tuesdays but the bar is! You are welcome to bring your own food or snacks.
Resources & Links
Dig deeper for more info on this topic –
- Check out Sara’s last presentation at the Big Muddy Speaker Series, including video! “On the River, Learning from the River: Discovering the Missouri by Canoe”
- Beyond A Book – Photos, blogs, videos, and more covering Butterbike and Sara’s other education-linked adventures
- Missourian For Monarchs – Local efforts to protect the monarch butterfly
- Monarch Lab – A comprehensive site that includes information on monarch biology, research, conservation and education. Monarch Lab oversees the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project
- Monarch Watch – A one stop shop for all things monarch: education, conservation and research. Monarch Watch runs the Monarch Watch Tagging Program.
- Journey North – This is the place to go to understand the migration patterns of monarchs and other wildlife species. Journey North collects your monarch observations.
- Monarch Joint Venture – Here is a collaboration of many monarch projects and programs working together to coordinate efforts to protect the monarch migration in the United States.
- Monarch Butterfly Fund – A trilateral partnership project with up to date news and information from Mexico to Canada.
- ARTICLE – “She’s making a 10,000-mile bike trip — with millions of monarch butterflies” – by Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, May 4, 2017
The Big Muddy Speaker Series in Rocheport
is hosted by these wonderful partners.
Click here for a list of upcoming presentations»
Special thanks to Les Bourgeois Vineyards for giving us the opportunity to use their beautiful space overlooking the Missouri River. All speakers are presenting for free! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge with us!
The Big Muddy Speaker Series also takes place monthly in Kansas City and St. Charles.
The Big Muddy Speaker Series is partially funded by the Mo. Dept. of Conservation.
