Money, Monarchs and Bt Corn pollen

[Chip Taylor]

Response to Cherubini

>Chip Taylor wrote:
>>
>> Actually, it is quite easy to outline a variety of scenarios for the impact
>> of Bt corn pollen on monarchs from near zero to the loss of perhaps 100
>> million monarchs from the fall population.

Cherubini

>Please enlighten us with your scenarios.

TAYLOR
Evidently my point in the previous posting wasn't direct enough. Let me be
clear - scenarios which are not founded on data based on research are of
little value. They are meer speculations. If I were the head of a pesticide
company and one of my employees came to me with scenarios on how to control
a pest species but didn't know the spatial and temporal distribution of the
target, the LD50's and persistence of the product or didn't have a sound
foundation for all the other questions, and many more, that I raised in my
earlier message, I'd ask him/her to find employment elsewhere. That's also
how the world works.

Cherubini
>I feel the public has a right to know if there is a reasonable expectation
>that Bt corn pollen poses a serious threat to the monarch before handing
>over the MONEY.

Once again you are asking for an assessment which can't be fairly given
without further research. In effect, you are asking for the research to be
done before the money can be granted. If seed money were available for a
preliminary study to answer some of the questions I posed, the results of
the study could be evaluated to determine whether a larger investigation is
needed. This is how this type of science is usually done.

Frankly, I'm not sure whether Bt corn will or will not have a significant
impact on monarchs but I'm unwilling to dismiss this possibility. The Losey
et al paper begs the question - is there an impact of Bt corn pollen on
non-target species? Let's find out.

Cherubini
 I suspect that the percentage of the milkweed plants, on a per square mile
basis, that contains a heavy deposit of Bt corn pollen will be less than
1%.

You may or may not be right but it will take research and $$$ to test your
hypothesis.


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