NABA Field Trips in South Florida

[anne kilmer]

Dear Leroy,
As a founding member of the Atala chapter, I would like to apologize to
you personally for the ignorant and sentimental action of the butterfly
lovers. 
It was not as grand an act of vandalism as the one that set loose
hundreds of mink from a mink farm in Britain, but it expressed a similar
ignorance. 
There are people who can't stand the sight of butterflies in a cage. I
am one of them, and my interest in the butterfly club was greatly
reduced when they started stocking a cage of butterflies to display at
garden sales, and even kept one in a mall, where there were more
butterflies than the nectar available would support, and dead
butterflies had to be removed daily.  
I suspect that if your cage had held only moths, no butterflies, it
would not have been touched. Sentimentality is not the most admirable of
our motivations, is it. 
I hope that NABA and its local members will replace your traps, although
we can in no way make up for the work you've lost. 
And, if there is a next time, may I suggest that either you keep an eye
on your traps, or remove them before you invite the public in ... unless
the field trip leader undertakes specifically to protect them. 
For the ignorant we have always with us. 
Yours
Anne Kilmer
South Florida
Leptraps at aol.com wrote:
> 
> I have never directly attacked NABA nor it's members, I was once a member
> myself. I have gladly provided information to a member organizing the field
> trips. This information is the result of hours of field work collecting and
> observing Lepidoptera.
> 
> I received several telephone calls Sunday evening informing me that during
> one of the field trips to an area near Port Mayaca in Martin County, a
> location that I provided, NABA members found several of my bait traps, one of
> which they destroyed and others were taken.
> 
> I received permission from the land owner to collect and hang bait trap, and
> even allow others, (NABA) to look for butterflies. What a wonderful reward
> one receive when he helps those who claim not to be opposed to collecting. My
> efforts to survey the Lepidoptera of South Florida requires time, effort and
> money. The results of those efforts are a record of what occurs in south
> Florida. My trap work along the Sugar Ridge of Lake Okeechobee (The Sugar
> Ridge extends from west of the town of Okeechobee all the way into northern
> Palm Beach County) has produced 533 species of Butterflies and moths in Bait
> Traps, Light Traps and Pheromone Traps. I, along with Bob Beiriger and Dave
> Fine have put forth a great effort to monitor the traps and record the
> species that are collected in the traps. May I also make note that Bait Traps
> are live traps. Only selected individuals are taken for records.
> 
> I believe that the action of the NABA members responsible for destroying and
> taking my bait traps are a childish prank and demonstrate a total lack of
> responsibility. They act like children! It shows their true face to serious
> Lepidopterists''. This is my reward for freely giving help to insure that
> NABA members have a great meeting.
> 
> I am sure that this will stir the coals and fuel the fires over the
> collecting issue. I apologize if it does.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Leroy C. Koehn
> 6085 Wedgewood Village Circle
> Lake Worth, FL 33463-7371
> Hm: 561-966-1655
> Cell: 561-301-4215
> E-mail: Leptraps at aol.com