Government views Monarch Butterfly Releases as a threat to Western Milkweeds
Ron Gatrelle
gatrelle at tils-ttr.org
Fri Dec 7 09:59:46 EST 2001
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Cherubini" <monarch at saber.net>
Subject: Government views Monarch Butterfly Releases as a threat to Western
Milkweeds
snip
> USDA officials said the regulations are required to protect members of
the
> milkweed family of plants, the favored food of Monarch larvae.
>
> Wayne Wehling, a USDA specialist in plant-feeding insects, said at least
some
> milkweed species in Oklahoma and in Arizona are endangered. Allowing
> unregulated interstate shipment and release of the butterfly, Wehling
said,
> could tip the balance against the plants, on which the migrating Monarch
> habitually lays its eggs.
>
> In effect, the USDA is squeezed between a federal law protecting
endangered
> plants and the growing popularity of commercial butterfly farming.
>
> "It's a real Catch-22,'' said Wehling.
>
This is close to the most ridiculous piece of news I have ever seen. The
endangered Milkweed vs. the endangered Monarch vs. natures only villain,
overpopulating humans vs. government vs. free enterprise - and all in the
tea pot that sits before the giant of International Terrorism juggling
nuclear and biological weapons. There are so many farces in this whole
thing one does not even know what to jump on first. Welcome to La-La land.
Ron Gatrelle
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