Member pushes herself to the limit to save pollinators
by Peter Stocker, director of development
Connie O’Leary worked in healthcare and human services her entire professional life. Now retired, she dedicates her time to healing the earth. Last fall, she challenged herself to bike from Canada to San Francisco along
the migratory route of the monarch butterfly to raise awareness of the threats facing pollinators. I recently interviewed Connie about her efforts.
Peter Stocker: What do monarchs and other pollinators mean to you now and throughout your life? What inspired you to undertake such a challenging journey?
Connie O’Leary: When I retired I wanted to dedicate the time I had left to healing the earth. I also wanted a slightly terrifying physical challenge so I organized a fundraising bike trip along most of the monarch butterfly’s migration route.
I care deeply about the plight of our pollinators: these fragile, paper-thin butterflies travel thousands of miles, not by pumping their wings but by riding the air currents of their ancestors. Years ago I biked through clouds of monarchs in New England. Now, we might not see a single one.
My relationship to bees as a beekeeper has made me care even more deeply about their protection. The bee’s culture, engineering, their many products from the hive, the mysterious ways they communicate has always fascinated me. We have had a symbiotic relationship with them as far back as recorded history. It is a sacred contract.
Now they give us honey as we poison them with toxic chemicals. They can no longer survive the effects of these chemicals. It is time for the citizens to organize, express their outrage and bring about change.
PS: Tell me about your experience biking from Canada to San Francisco.
What did you learn about yourself?
CO: I would never have been able to complete the trip without my companions: Carl Rosenberg, Romany and Siri Wood, Rosa Leader Smith, Erzulia Tree, Kelly O’Leary and my husband, Eric O’Leary. The many generous donors who pledged to Friends of the Earth also made me stay true to my commitment.
Had you asked me if I would be able to bike 1,100 miles at age 66, I would say that it was impossible. But I can bike a few hours in the morning and a few in the afternoon, then, voila! In a month, I biked 1,100 miles!
PS: What drives you to take action and keep fighting for what you believe in? What would you tell young people today who look at what faces our environment?
CO: At the end of the trip I became even more aware of the preciousness of nature, and how much we have to lose, especially in the wild, unspoiled regions of the northern Pacific coast. I am very hopeful about young people being willing to face this challenge and have found a surprising number of young people are worried about the plight of the honeybee.
I would tell them this is about more than saving bees. It’s about moving away from an agricultural and horticultural system that puts pollinators, human health and the natural world at risk. I would also share that the core of my activism lives in this simple question I ask myself: “When faced with the possible loss of something greatly loved, what is the wise action that can be taken in response to it?”
Take action to protect our pollinators at foe.org/beeaction!
