Gene-altered corn likely fatal to Monarchs

[Paul Cherubini]

Chip Taylor wrote:
> 
> The reactions to the Bt corn article and media reports on this list reflect
> a lack of knowledge of the original study.  In one case, a posting reflects
> an antiresearch bias, a poor understanding of monarch population biology
> and an inadequade understanding of the use of pesticides in field corn.

The following information was copied from Chip Taylor's web site. Like
the media reports we have seen today and the Cornell report it portrays
a grave situation for the monarch butterfly due to agriculture expansion
and pesticide use. As with the other reports, an objective, analytical,
math based analysis of these purported mortality factors is not
provided. That leaves the casual reader unable to evaluate the claimed
risks and no idea of the possible benefits agriculture provides for the
monarch butterfly. Is this the way science should work? 

"Monarchs and their amazing annual migration are
seriously threatened by human activities  New
roads, housing developments, and agricultural expansion
- all transform a natural landscape in ways that make it
 impossible for Monarchs to live there.
 Milkweed, the plant larva feed on exclusively, is considered a noxious
weed   by some people, which means it is often destroyed. In some
 areas across North America, milkweed plants are also
 being severely damaged by ozone. Both milkweed and adult
 nectaring plants are also vulnerable to the herbicides
 used by many landscapers, farmers, gardeners, and
 others. And Monarchs themselves can be killed outright
  by many pesticides."