Collecting anything and future nature interest

[Mark Walker]

Andy, I don't doubt that there have been (and probably still are) those
collectors that are trying to obtain rare and endangered butterflies for
economic purposes.  I do think that the situation is a whole lot different
with butterflies, however, in that most people who collect for
non-scientific reasons are interested primarily in the beauty and variation,
and not economic value.  They truly are better compared to fishermen and
hunters, rather than egg or stamp collectors (although I know a good many
stamp collectors who collect for beauty and variation also).  Mike's point I
think is valid for at least 95% of the collectors (and 100% of the
collectors I know), in that these people would be the first to notice and
suffer from a decline in or disappearance of butterfly populations.

I think it is wrong to formulate a bias against insect collectors because of
the prejudices associated with the proverbial egg collector.  This, however,
is the standard attitude being conveyed by the schools and the media (but
obviously propagated by other sources initially).

Mark Walker
Mission Viejo, CA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andy Harmer [mailto:xcj80 at dial.pipex.com]
> Sent: Saturday, June 26, 1999 7:12 PM
> To: leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject: Re: Collecting anything and future nature interest
> 
> 
> 
> Mike Soukup wrote in message <37724DE7.4610 at ix.netcom.com>...
> >The only thing I would add is "Those who have the most interest in
> >something will want to protect that something
> 
> What ?
> 
> What about the eggers who by their very actions of making the 
> bird rare
> increase the value of their collections and up their status.
> 
> Let's not pretend that there aren't any collectors out there 
> who don't just
> collect for their own selfish reasons.
> 
> Andy
>