Agua Prieta, Mexico School Visits

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:26:50 +0000

On Friday, September 3rd 2010, Mrs. Retana, along with Francisco Garcia, and Albino Parra of Naturalia.org, visited two schools in Agua Prieta, Mexico. They talked to kindergartners about the Mexican Gray Wolf. Topics included; physical characteristics, and the similarity between humans and wolves when raising their children/pups. Mrs. Retana also read her story Born into the Pack/Nacer en la manada. Mr. Garcia discussed the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf in Sonora, Mexico.

Our furry friend, the toy wolf cub NANO was available for picture. Nano also met Crispín, another Mexican Gray Wolf, and a Gray Wolf named Happy.

Can I take Nano home?

The Community of Nutrioso, AZ. features the Mexican Gray Wolf

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:53:30 +0000

Every year, on the last Saturday of July, the community of Nutrioso, AZ, hosts its annual BBQ—over 35 years of community fun. Two local organizations, Great Old Broads for Wilderness and In the Footsteps of Leopold Broadband both tabled at the event and offered free copies of Born into the Pack/Nacer en la Manada to children. Despite a torrential downpour, the event went on and a few souls braved the threatening weather to visit the booths. The children that found their way to us were absolutely delighted when offered a copy of this delightful picture book! I will never forget the cute child with an oversized cowboy hat posing for a photo with a wide grin. Nor will I forget the shy little boy that looked over the Mexican wolf display. I offered him a book and he shook his head “no.” But as I persisted with, “It’s free,” a broad smile spread across his face. Within minutes he returned with all of his friends to share in this wonderful find. This BBQ is within the Mexican wolf recovery area. We need all of the support we can to protect this incredibly beautiful and critical species! This book open a window for children to see these magnificent creatures as a family much like their own.

-Billie Hughes

Great Old Broads for Wilderness, In the Footsteps of Leopold Broadband,

Nutrioso, AZ

Mrs. Retana and Mr. Garcia share a passion

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 20:20:53 +0000

Francisco Garcia, the man in charge of Environmental Education in the border towns of Sonora, Mexico (specifically Agua Prieta and Naco) shares a passion in common with Mrs. Retana: preservation of the Mexican Gray Wolf. On August 14, 2010 during their two-hour meeting, Mr. Retana and Mrs. Retana shared information and concerns about reaching teachers and their students in an effective way and within a specific time frame. The goal of the proposed time frame is to reach the audience before the reintroduction of the Mexican Grey wolf which will happen next month in Sonora. During the month of September, together with Mr. Garcia, Mrs. Retana will be visiting schools in Naco Sonora and Agua Prieta Sonora, Mexico. She will be reading her book Born into the Pack/Nacer en la manada both in English and Spanish and will share valuable information that every child should know. Information about the role of the Mexican Gray Wolf that is valuable not only to children in Mexico but also those in the Southwestern states. If you wish to become more informed about the reintroduction of the Mexican Gray Wolf, please visit Naturalia, a non-profit organization. The website can be viewed in both English and Spanish.

Help Save the Mexican Gray Wolf

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 06:45:30 +0000

*NOTE: Following information taken from this post at mexicanwolves.org*

Wild Mexican Wolves Are on the Brink of Extinction. Please Act Today!

Two Alpha Males Were Found Dead in the Past Two Weeks

34 endangered Mexican Wolves Have Been Killed by Criminals Since 1998.

In June, federal officials issued a report on the decline of the wild Mexican wolf population to a dangerous low of only 42 at the end of 2009.

According to the report, illegal wolf killings are the leading cause of death for Mexican gray wolves. Between 1998 and June 2009, 31 Mexican gray wolves were killed illegally. Another 47 mysteriously disappeared.

Tragically, two more highly endangered Mexican gray wolves, both the alpha males of their packs, were found dead in the wild in the past two weeks.

The alpha male of the Hawk’s Nest Pack was shot to death in eastern Arizona, leaving his mate to raise dependent pups without him. The alpha male of the San Mateo Pack was found dead under suspicious circumstances last week in New Mexico. Both deaths are under investigation.

The collared alpha male of a third pack, the Paradise pack that roamed the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona, also has been missing since mid-April.

Last year, the Hawk’s Nest and Paradise packs were the only packs that gave birth to at least two pups that survived until the end of the year.

The Mexican gray wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world. With so few Mexican gray wolves remaining in the wild, every wolf – especially the alpha males – is crucial to the survival of the species.

Please help. Mexican wolf recovery can only succeed through the survival of intact Mexican wolf families in the wild.

The officials responsible for wolf recovery must act immediately to stop these criminal killings and increase the number of Mexican wolves in the wild!

PLEASE WRITE TO SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR KEN SALAZAR and tell him the Fish and Wildlife Service must take these actions immediately and aggressively to recover Mexican wolves from the brink of extinction:

* Increase law enforcement to bring the criminals killing wolves to justice and stop more killings from happening. USFWS law enforcement needs more help to protect these packs of wolves. To date, 34 Mexican wolves have been killed illegally but there have been only two prosecutions – this is an outrage.

* Release the captive Mexican wolf family of eight into Arizona as soon as possible. New releases of Mexican wolves will increase wolf numbers and strengthen the wild population’s genetic viability. A healthy, captive Mexican wolf family, including mom, dad, five pups, and a yearling, is ready to be released into the wild.

* Expedite the Environmental Assessment (EA) on direct releases into New Mexico to allow more releases in 2011. Right now, Mexican wolves can only be released into Arizona from captivity. The Fish and Wildlife Service should move forward quickly with an EA to allow wolves to be released from captivity directly into New Mexico as well.

* Request Mexican Gray Wolf Species Survival Plan cooperation in preparing more wolves for release in 2011. The SSP is a binational captive breeding program between the U.S. and Mexico whose primary purpose is to raise wolves for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for reintroduction purposes. This captive population is the sole source of Mexican wolves available to re-establish the species in the wild and is imperative to the success of the Blue Range Mexican wolf reintroduction project and any additional potential reintroduction areas that may be identified in the future.

Share your personal connection to Mexican wolves. Tell the Secretary if you live in or near, or visit the reintroduction area. Tell him if you have been thrilled to hear a wolf howl, felt your heart beat when you saw one, or if you are just hoping that your grandchildren will have this opportunity.

Send your letter to:
Ken Salazar
U.S. Secretary of the Interior
1849 C. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20240
Email:

exsec@ios.doi.gov

And copy it to your members of Congress:

Arizona Members of Congress
Senator John McCain: http://mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm

Senator Jon Kyl: http://kyl.senate.gov/contact.cfm

Congressman Trent Franks: https://franks.house.gov/contacts/new

Congressman John Shadegg: http://www.house.gov/formshadegg/emailtemplate.htm

Congressman Ed Pastor: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Congressman Harry Mitchell: https://forms.house.gov/mitchell/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

Congressman Jeff Flake: http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Congressman Raul Grijalva: http://grijalva.house.gov/?sectionid=49§iontree=249

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords: https://giffordsforms.house.gov/contact/email.shtml

Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick: https://forms.house.gov/kirkpatrick/dc-contact-form.shtml

New Mexico members of Congress:
Senator Jeff Bingaman: http://bingaman.senate.gov/contact/types/email-issue.cfm

Senator Tom Udall: http://tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact

Congressman Martin Heinrich: https://forms.house.gov/heinrich/contact-form.shtml

Congressman Ben Lujan: https://forms.house.gov/lujan/contact-form.shtml

Congressman Harry Teague: http://forms.house.gov/teague/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

YOU CAN ALSO HELP BY:

Printing and distributing reward posters
A reward of up to $60,000 is offered for information leading to arrest and conviction of anyone illegally killing a Mexican wolf. You can read and print out copies of the reward poster to put up Here:

Spreading the word to your friends and family
Sharing this information with the people you know is one of the most effective actions you can take. In addition to telling them about the dire situation the wolves are in, you can also:

Wolves exist in the wild because of the actions of people like you who understand their importance to the balance of nature. Without these kinds of actions, Mexican wolves would never have been reintroduced in the first place.

Because of public pressure and organized support for lobos, the Fish and Wildlife has not killed or removed wolves from the wild for depredations since the beginning of 2008, a big improvement over their actions in 2007, when they removed several entire packs. Your actions make a real difference -Thank You!

ESL Open Ended Workshop

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:08:48 +0000

I have been asked many times about the open endings of my stories. An open ending to a story gives the reader the opportunity to make up his or her own ending. I firmly believe that my study of those classic writers responsible for much of the French, Russian, Italian, German, and English literature influenced my writing style. For example, the French writer Gustave Flaubert is one of several writers that crafted stories with open endings. In both Madame Bovary (1857) and The Sentimental Education (1869), Flaubert gives the final words to a character who speaks in simplistic banalities. This leaves the reader with no concluding authorial overview which might create a surer sense of resolution. This is an example of a story in which what will happen after the story has ended is left unresolved, allowing for future changes or revisions. The result is known as an open ending.

This summer I was invited to Naco, Arizona to present a workshop to an ESL class taught by a friend, Adrienne Kuntz. While discussing the title of the workshop I happened to mentioned my open endings and she was thrilled at the idea of her ESL class creating multiple endings to my story The Afternoon Snack/La merienda. We named the two-day workshop “Writing and Performing”. It was truly a success. Enjoy the results below.

Adrienne describes the experience:

I am the teacher of a group of Adult English Language Learners whose first language is Spanish. I invited Maria Retana to our class to lead a workshop on her book The Afternoon Snack/La merienda. The book has an open ending and she invited the students to write a new ending for the book. Maria talked about character and theme in story telling. She gave her instructions in both English and Spanish. Then, the students broke into groups of four and wrote a new ending in English. The groups picked which person would play each character and how the new ending would go. Would this be a happy ending or sad or angry or magical? They gave each group member at least two lines to speak in English and then performed the new ending for the rest of the class. I watched the groups huddled with heads together, intensely perfecting their dramatic telling. There was a lot of laughter and fun and the students even created props to tell their stories. One student, who played the character of the lollipop vendor, brought lollipops for the entire class. The workshop gave the students a safe place to share their new English skills as well as their creativity. As a bonus, Maria brought her Afro-Cuban musical instruments to share and we all broke into spontaneous music and afternoon snacks of lollipops. It was a joyful two days that ended in smiles. I think my students will always remember it fondly. Thanks Maria!!

-Adrienne Kuntz

Exploring Animals With Children Expands Young Minds

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 03:08:26 +0000

Two weeks ago Maria Retana, along with her family, took her grandson Ariel, now 20 months old, to Reid Park Zoo and the Arizona- Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. The goal was to show Ari the animals and let him learn their names and also see their colors, shapes and behavior.

For any child older than one, a visit to the zoo or museum is a great way to begin early development. A common misconception is that very young children do not remember or benefit from family trips. Several studies have shown that a child’s brain develops faster between the ages of 1 and 3. This rapid rate of development then begins to slow after age 3.

Here are some suggested activities that parents, grandparents and caregivers can offer their little ones to help with early brain development.

Note: to view more picture information, hover over or click each image.

Please be sure to visit both Reid Park Zoo and Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum’s Websites for information on planning your own family trip.

Mrs. Retana reads in Mount Pleasant, MI

admin — Wed, 26 May 2010 14:41:24 +0000

On April 8, 2010, Maria Retana was happily welcomed at Renaissance Public School Academy by kindergartners and second graders. Mrs. Retana read

Grandma’s Trunk/El baul de Mamaita

to kindergarteners and for their class, donated

The Pig that is not a Pig/El cerdo que no es cerdo.

Mrs Retana also read

The Mystic Call/La llamada mistica

to second graders and for their class, donated

Tanili

This is what second graders from Renaissance Public School Academy in Mount Pleasant, MI are saying about Mrs. Retana’s visit to their classrooms:

“Thank you for coming to read to us and for the new book.”
“Cool book we love it.”
“We all like your story so much.”
‘Thank you for the book you gave us.”
“Thank you for reading the story, I love the book, I like the song.”
“The song is funny, the pictures are cool, Thank you for sharing the book.”
“The book that you gave us is wonderful. Tanili is a good name for it. Thank you for coming in and reading the book to us.”

Mrs. Retana will be reading in Mount Pleasant, MI

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:57:14 +0000

On the week of April 5th Mrs. Retana will be reading her stories to kindergartens and second graders at the Renaissance Public School Academy in Mount Pleasant, MI. She will also be reading at Veterans Memorial Library and will donate a set of her bilingual children’s books to their children’s session.

Tucson Festival of Books March 13-14, 2010

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:42:55 +0000

The 2nd Tucson Festival of Books will take place at the University of Arizona Mall on Saturday March 13 and Sunday March 14, with more than 400 authors, 150 exhibitors, and 24 venues. The 2 day FREE event runs 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on both days.

Maria Retana has been invited to participate and she will be at the grounds on Saturday March 13th from 2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. in Pavilion TENT 1. This coming weekend, If you are in the Tucson area, come to the Tucson Festival of Books and look for Maria. She will be happy to chat with you and your child, and will be also delighted to sign one of her bilingual books for you!

Our Visit to the Mendocino County Schools

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:52:37 +0000

Our visit to the Mendocino County Schools was a great success. We presented 17 workshops to at least 800 students and their teachers. Please visit the gallery to see more pictures of our week in Mendocino County Schools.

See what Christy Barron, the Imagination Library Coordinator for FIRST 5 Mendocino, says about Mrs. Retana’s visit to the Mendocino County Schools:

“Maria Retana brings a love of history, culture, and magic to her stories. Children respond with wonder and excitement to her books and find themselves transported to a different world when they experience them. Her attention to detail in each story is profound. She pours her heart into each and every school she visits, and the children respond to her with amazement. The children of Mendocino County were thrilled to have her visit their schools and share her stories with them. She is a joy to be around.”

Dear Maria,

Thank you for donating a box of your books Born into the Pack, Tanili, The Afternoon Snack, and The Pig That is Not a Pig to FIRST 5 Mendocino. The books have been distributed to several non-profit organizations including Big Brother Big Sister of Mendocino County, and Project Sanctuary, (a shelter for domestic abuse victims). The books are now also in the shelves of Head Start programs, public libraries, and elementary schools throughout Mendocino County. With our large population of Spanish-speakers, it was a real treat for the children in our community to meet a bilingual children’s author and to have her books as their own. Many of the principals at the schools we visited requested autographed copies for their offices. The stories and illustrations are very different from other children’s stories I have read. You have a gift and I look forward to reading your next story!

Sincerely,

Christy Barron
Americorps VISTA
FIRST 5 Mendocino.”