Forget Btk, just introduce some non-local tussock moths!

[Paul Cherubini]

Dr. David McCorkle wrote:

> I write in objection to the tussock moth spray program of over one
> half million acres planned for Oregon and Washington this year,
> and especially in objection to the use of Btk spray

> On another aspect, how is it that "commercial take" of lepidoptera
> has been approved in Washington State?  The impact on
> lepidopteran wildlife of the proposed spray program, which is for
> commercial purposes, will be profound beyond belief!  At the same
> time, apparently the Washington Wildlife Department has a policy
> of denying permits for commercial collecting of insects. 

Is Btk spraying really needed to control the tussock moth? According to
the Washington Wildlife Department a really effective way to "decimate"
local lepidopterans and leave a "legacy of lasting damage"
is merely to release small numbers of non-local leps into the local populations.

The article below was copied from http://www.naba.org/orgwed.html#3

WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Butterfly releases could unleash problems for state wildlife 

It looks like a harmless, uplifting way to end a wedding ceremony, but 
the popular practice of releasing mail-ordered butterflies could leave a
legacy of lasting damage Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
(WDFW) biologists warn. The biologists' chief concern is that released
butterflies could decimate their native counterparts here by introducing disease,
competing for food and altering survival behavior by interbreeding with them.
                                                            
"This activity has the potential to do a lot of damage, and I don't think the
 people doing it realize that," said Ann Potter, a WDFW wildlife biologist.

Butterflies are especially vulnerable to introduced intruders because native 
butterfly populations are small and localized to specific areas. Introductions
of even a few non-local butterflies of breeding age could "swamp" the natives,
Potter said. Wild, migratory butterflies which spend part of the year here also
could be harmed if they bred with introduced butterflies and their offspring 
lost their migratory instincts.

Contact: Ann Potter, (360) 902-2496 or Margaret Ainscough (360) 902-2408