Berkeley Voice
Children Preparing Butterfly Release for Earth Day

Berkeley Voice 1999-03-04

Imagine the skies filled with the flutter and color of fifty-thousand butterflies each carrying the wish of a child on its wings. Throughout Bay Area Schools, children are raising butterflies to release on Earth Day this April. Last year two thousand children participated in this memorable nature experience, and this year an estimated twenty-thousand children will release butterflies for the twenty-ninth annual Earth Day Celebration.

Butterflies have long been known throughout the world as a symbol of hope, beauty, and harmony-and according to the Native Indians, a carrier of wishes. The Butterfly Program encourages participants to cultivate their greatest wish, and watch it take flight in the company of others.

The Butterfly Educational Program, created and organized by the Butterfly Gardeners Association, focuses on raising awareness about the environment, replenishing the butterfly population and education. The rich array of activities includes field trips, reading and nonviolence programs, art, music and growing your own butterfly garden. Berkeley School Superintendent Jack McLaughlin enthusiastically endorses the program. Berkeley Schools successfully participated in the pilot last year and we were told teachers consistently reported an increase in their student's productivity and performance while participating. The Butterfly Educational Program has expanded from Alameda County to Contra Costa, San Francisco and Marin Counties, and has grown to include adults in battered women's shelters, prisons, senior homes, offices and individuals.

Alan Moore, Director of the Butterfly Gardeners Association, is flooded daily with miraculous stories of how the butterfly touches the lives of people in playful and unexpected ways. Wherever he goes, he is sure to share the latest butterfly "story" which captivates the hearts of all. In fact, the butterflies' popularity is taking off with more than a flutter. Mr. Moore is presently publishing a book of butterfly stories and has been approached by a major film producer.

The butterfly is also becoming an ambassador for peace, locally and nationwide. The City of Berkeley, Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco and Mayor Jerry Brown of Oakland, have issued proclamations and letters of support for Earth Day gardening projects and community peace work. The Butterfly Gardeners Association will be attending several gatherings for world peace in 1999, including the Hague Appeal for Peace in the Netherlands, the World Peace Festival and the presentation of the World Peace Candle to Kofi Annan, U.N. Secretary General, at the United Nations.

The public is invited to sponsor a child, class or school participating in the program and/or participate by growing your own butterfly for Earth Day. You may also volunteer for extracurricular school programs.

To find out more, contact the Butterfly Gardeners Association. Phone: 510-528-7730 or email bflyspirit7@aol.com

Official locations for scheduled butterfly releases in April: * Berkeley Earth Day, April 17th, 12pm at Martin Luther King Jr. Park * Concord Earth Day, April 25th, 12pm at the Concord Pavilion