Florida Keys

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Correctmundo; never bring a knife (or butterfly net) to a gunfight :-). My
experiences with private rural landowners have been 99% positive. I do most
of my 'stuff' in places where there is frequently no residence in sight and
I have no idea who the landowner is and no easy way to find out.  The very
odd time the local landowner has driven over to ask what I am doing has been
for legitimate purposes rather than being touchy about anyone walking in
their cow pasture. Example: roadside stop in Montana, no residence within a
mile, slithered through the ubiquitous barbed wire fence that is hard on
blue jeans to enjoy myself and in a while the local rancher dropped by.
Seems he was wondering what I was doing near his horses. Once I explained
the purpose of my brief stop at the edge of his rangeland he had no problem.
I did not tell him that I had not even noticed his horses nearby :-) my
vision was focussed on the wildflowers and butterflies and other far more
interesting life forms.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Gatrelle [mailto:gatrelle at tils-ttr.org]
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2001 12:33 PM
To: gochfeld at EOHSI.RUTGERS.EDU; Leps-l
Cc: spruance at infinet.com
Subject: Re: Florida Keys



----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gochfeld" <gochfeld at EOHSI.RUTGERS.EDU>
To: <spruance at infinet.com>; <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2001 7:35 AM
Subject: Florida Keys


 .... It is best to collect only on private property. It is also good,
 although not required, to try and get permission from the
 private property owner.....

 Does this mean that in your experience, most private property owners in
 the keys don't mind trespassers and collectors and won't call the
 police?
Mike Gochfeld
 _____________________
Reply from Ron Gatrelle
For me, I always ask permission to collect on personal private property
(that which is owned by an individual). This is easy in an urban situation
as in the keys as the owner's residence is usually "right there". It is not
so easy in rural areas like in South Carolina. However, in rural areas my
collecting is 80% limited to roadsides. Occasionally a "farmer" will stop
if they see this odd guy with a net near their property to find out what
I'm doing. I have never been run off by a farmer and have always been given
permission to go on back into their woods or field edges. One does need to
be very gracious and absolutely stick by any limitations requested by the
property owner. I have been run off by deer hunters from areas (including
public road right of ways) that were not even their property - Proverb: it
is not good for one armed only with a net to argue with a band of men armed
with rifles.

In the Keys, as elsewhere, I never ask permission to collect on that
private property with public access - gas station lights and walls, store
fronts, golf courses, motel grounds, etc. I often let someone in the
station or store know what this crazy person is doing snooping around their
windows and lights. They will call the police on weird people. At the golf
courses and motels I have "paid" for access to that property. In county,
municipal, and state parks I first find what their policy is about
collecting. And proceed according to their policy. I have even went to
local police stations or stopped a local policeman to let them know I am in
the area and that I intend to be collecting along the roads in there
jurisdiction.

The bottom line I have found is that people deal real well with collectors
if they know what is going on. They may still think you are an idiot, or
nut, but they will leave you alone. People don't deal well with people who,
to them, seem to be acting odd or "sneaking around". The people in the keys
are the same. They are however a wary bunch as there are so many tourists
that come there who bring all kinds of trouble and rudeness with them. Be
friendly and they will be friendly. I remember one lady who was so excited
when she found out I wanted to collect butterflies that she showed me
around her whole neighborhood on Key Largo - 25 years ago. In   some ways
she was a bother. But she was right about one weedy lot where I caught my
first C. maesites hairstreak - which she thought was the most beautiful
"little thing" she had ever seen. I agreed.
Ron
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