Guest columnist Travis Gates, a lifelong lover of nature, is marketing specialist for the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center.

There’s something truly majestic about autumn in Northeast Ohio.

As the leaves begin their colorful transformation and the air carries that first crisp hint of winter, we become witnesses to one of nature’s most extraordinary phenomena: fall migration.

Our region -- blessed with diverse forests, sprawling grasslands and the diverse ecosystem of Lake Erie -- serves as a vital waypoint along the highways in the sky.

Perhaps no migration captures our imagination quite like that of the monarch butterfly.

Each fall, millions of monarchs embark on their very first (and only) journey of up to 3,000 miles to the mountains of southwestern Mexico.

These incredible travel

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