The forests of Michoacán, Mexico are the winter home of the beloved Monarch butterfly. If you catch sight of a monarch flitting through your yard this week, it is likely of the longer-lived generation that will head south shortly, overwinter in the oyamel fir forests of Michoacán, and whose future generations will migrate back our way next Spring. But the monarchs aren’t the only ones who have made that journey! There is a large immigrant population from Michoacán in our region, and they are served by one of The Conservation Foundation’s valued partners, Casa Michoacán DuPage, founded in 1996 to assist immigrants with social, language, and additional needed services and connect them to others in the area.
This Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating our partnership with Casa Michoacán DuPage, which grew out of our Community Engagement Listening Tour we conducted in 2024. One of our focus areas was to learn how community partners wanted to engage with nature, and how we could work together to have lasting impact for both human and natural communities in the West Chicago area, where Casa Michoacán DuPage is based, and our relationship flourished from there.
Seeing monarchs after moving here can feel like a little slice of home for immigrants from Michoacán, so it was a natural fit to support Casa Michoacán in the planting of native plants like milkweed (monarchs’ favorite food and most vital plant) around their center, as well as focusing on how growing food can provide for and connect the community. Together, we broke ground on a garden in May 2024, and also held a container gardening workshop so folks could have herbs at home. The garden expanded in May of this year with support from Healthy West Chicago and others with the addition of both more native plants and vegetable garden beds. In addition to the native garden and educational opportunities, we have now been able to bring bilingual forest therapy experiences to their participants as well at their request.
Jose Luis, Director at Casa Michoacán DuPage, said,
ESPAÑOL 🇲🇽
“Desde Casa Michoacán DuPage estamos muy complacidos con la colaboración que hemos tenido con The Conservation Foundation. Esta alianza nos ha dado la oportunidad de explorar mejores caminos para estar en contacto con la naturaleza y fortalecer el vínculo de nuestra comunidad con el medio ambiente. Gracias a su acompañamiento, hemos aprendido más sobre la importancia de cuidar nuestros bosques, nuestros recursos naturales y, sobre todo, hemos recibido un gran apoyo en el desarrollo de nuestro jardín comunitario.
Creemos sinceramente que esta colaboración es trascendental e inspiradora para la comunidad inmigrante en el Condado de DuPage.”
ENGLISH 🇺🇸
“At Casa Michoacán DuPage, we are deeply pleased with our collaboration with The Conservation Foundation. This partnership has given us the opportunity to explore better ways to connect with nature and strengthen our community’s relationship with the environment. Through their guidance, we have learned about the importance of protecting our forests and natural resources, and they have supported us greatly in nurturing our community garden. We truly believe this collaboration is both meaningful and transformative for the immigrant community in DuPage County.”
At The Conservation Foundation, we believe every person, regardless of where they live or their social-economic status, deserves clean water, clean air, nutritious food, and safe access to nature as a way to be healthy and happy. After all, the air we breathe is the same air that carries the beautiful Monarchs to Mexico and back.
“At a time when there is a lot of stress in the Latinx community, The Conservation Foundation is glad to be firmly planted in our belief that everyone belongs in nature. We are grateful for our partnership with Casa Michoacán to be able to help communities that are facing high levels of stress access the calming effect of nature in and around West Chicago,” said Alison Paul, Vice President of Community Conservation at The Conservation Foundation. “At a time when it can feel like we don’t have a lot in common, it’s inspiring to connect over our common land, water, and air that tie us all together.”
It is our shared responsibility to care for our common air and the people in our communities, and we are so grateful for our partnership with Casa Michoacán DuPage.