b-fly releases at events

[Paul Cherubini]

Kenelm Philip wrote:

> However, there are historical records of _V. cardui_ having
> reached Alaska under its own power.

One point I have never been able to understand is that the high
profile*, zero risk, anti-release activists such as Bob Pyle and Jeff
Glassberg have no problem with school children raising and releasing
locally obtained butterflies. For example, if childen in Fairbanks,
Alaska managed to acquire a gravid female Painted Lady that reached
Alaska under its own power, the activists would not object to the kids
raising and releasing hundreds of offspring from this female. For some
obscure reason, they consider sightings of these classroom reared
butterflies, obtained from locally caught females, as VALID (and not
bogus) records to be entered into the sight record database.

Paul Cherubini, Placerville, California

*Recent anti-release articles in newspapers around the nation.