Entomology students gain perspective through Mexico trip

Purdue Exponent
By Emily Fata
January 9, 2008

Monarch butterfly photograghed during a study abroad trip to Mexico.

Foregoing typical holiday festivities to spend their semester break in the remote rainforests of Mexico, eight Purdue students gained a unique perspective regarding the world's monarch butterfly population.

Led by Steve Yaninek, a professor of entomology, the trip was the only study abroad adventure offered over winter break. This trip allowed students to observe monarch butterflies in their natural habitat and encouraged them to gain a broader global perspective.

Dawn Taylor, a senior in the College of Science, described her trip as a "fairy tale."

"It was so amazing and beautiful that words and pictures cannot even describe it," she said.

The students, all from various colleges, spent the first four days in Mexico City, exploring ancient Aztec and Mayan ruins and getting acclimated to the Mexican culture. They then ventured off to the monarch sanctuaries of Michochan to observe the native habitats of the butterflies.

Yaninek explained the purpose behind his group's trip was to learn about the biology of the butterflies in their winter habitat, conservation efforts to protect these threatened populations and the growing conflict with local economic development.

Many of the students began to grasp a better understanding of the motivations behind logging and deforestation after interacting with the locals of the area.

"The government pays some compensation so that they will not log, but the money is split between too many hands," Taylor said, "It was a surprise to me to realize that the development of the local communities needs to be as important as the protection of the ecosystem."