NOT the collecting debate :-)

[DR. JAMES ADAMS]

Listers,

Chris Durden wrote:
> Are amoebae wildlife?

Most certainly.  One reason why I hesitate to discuss the 
collecting/not collecting debate on leps-l anymore is the hypocrisy 
of the non-collecting argument.  Lines seem to be drawn arbitrarily -
- this (butterflies) shouldn't ever be collected, but who cares about 
that (moths) . . . or that (mosquitos) . . . or that (roaches) . . . or 
that (amoebae).  All are living things, and deserve respect and their 
place in the world.  That doesn't mean you can't respect an 
organism while at the same time want to study it (collect it, 
*responsibly*) to learn more about it.  I've discussed what I think is 
responsible more than once previously and will not go into it again.  
You may think differently.  As far as I'm concerned, anyone who is 
truly anti-collecting because of its consumptive nature needs to 
realize that just by existing every single human being is 
consumptive.  Driving a car, walking, eating, all result in killing 
insects.  Okay, so stop driving, eat only organically grown food, 
etc.  Still impossible to not kill insects.  And of course you could 
make the logical extension to other organisms.  Any time you take 
antibiotics, you are, of course, killing millions of organisms 
("wildlife").  Needless to say, the lines are drawn for convenience, 
and may be different for different people. 

Chris also wrote:
>   By the way, is capture and release still permitted in South Florida, or
> will you get a ticket for carrying a net?

No tickets.  Any private land, assuming you get permission from 
the owners, are still open to swinging a net.  So, too, are public 
lands outside of the nature reserves, national parks, state parks, 
and other protected areas.  You need to be certain, however, that 
you know where these areas are.  This includes all of the Keys 
currently, except, again, privately owned lands.  Kind of ironic when 
you realize that the Keys are one of the areas of the world that are 
most heavily sprayed for mosquitos (which, of course, kills all 
kinds of insects each year, including leps).

         James

Dr. James K. Adams
Dept. of Natural Science and Math
Dalton State College
213 N. College Drive
Dalton, GA  30720
Phone: (706)272-4427; fax: (706)272-2533
U of Michigan's President James Angell's 
  Secret of Success: "Grow antennae, not horns"