FW: Collecting anything and future nature interest

[Mark Walker]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Walker 
> Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 5:25 PM
> To: 'Andy Harmer'
> Subject: RE: Collecting anything and future nature interest
> 
> 
> Andy Harmer wrote (in a personal communication):
> > 
> > Collecting is much more widespread in your country. I also 
> > recognise that
> > you are much further in your conservation than us too. 
> > Perhaps that's why
> > your collecting is not having a detrimental effect
> 
> I'm sharing my response with the list, only because it 
> addresses a few issues that others may want to refute or add to:
> 
> Andy,
> 
> We've discussed the differences in geography between Great 
> Britain and the U.S. on the list before, and I do think that 
> these have a lot more to do with the cultural differences 
> that exist with regard to collecting butterflies.  I get the 
> impression that there are still a lot of collectors across 
> the U.K., at least of stamps, coins, and even moths.  An 
> affinity for collecting doesn't seem to be the difference - 
> instead, it appears that the average person from Great 
> Britain is less likely to enjoy the hunting down of living 
> things than does the average U.S. citizen.  This is likely 
> because of the extent of available wilderness areas we have 
> and the degree to which the citizens have interacted with 
> them over history.
> 
> I don't know that I would agree that we here in the U.S. are 
> further in our conservation efforts.  We certainly have a lot 
> of media coverage, but not much in the way of united public 
> support.  It's easy to claim success when there is so much 
> pristine habitat remaining.  Here (particularly in the west), 
> we can still talk of habitat preservation - rather than just 
> a hope of habitat restoration.  In your country, there is 
> much less space, a surrounding oceanic boundary, and many 
> more years of human residence.  In addition, many of your 
> interesting butterflies are migrants or occasional visitors.  
> You don't see them often, so you tend to be less likely to 
> want to destroy even a singleton.
> 
> In reality, though, there are relatively very few who enjoy 
> the collecting of butterflies here in the U.S.  I don't have 
> any statistics, but I would venture to say that the number 
> has dramatically declined over the past five decades.  There 
> is some sense that this is the result of an increased 
> eco-consciousness, but I believe that to be a myth.  My 
> impression is that the average U.S. citizen today is far less 
> aware of (or concerned for) the environment than were those 
> of the preceding generations.  Most young people here are too 
> engrossed in video-based simulated war games to be engaging 
> with nature.  We watch wonderful nature programming on cable 
> TV, and occasionally drive through a National Park, maybe 
> even pick up a wax souvenir or refrigerator magnet, dispose 
> of our vending machine trash in an appropriate receptacle, 
> and feel like we've done our part.  Meanwhile, the funny 
> looking guy covered in mosquito and horsefly bites, 
> scratching a sumac rash, and carrying a net is portrayed to 
> be the enemy of the environment.
> 
> Oh well, I've gone on long enough.
> 
> Mark Walker
>