A Golden Opportunity Missed.

[Leptraps at aol.com]

I have remained silent on the recent Jeff Glassberg discussion on this list. 
However, after Mike Quinn's recent post on the Lepidopterists Society and 
NABA, I do have something to say. And Jeff Glassberg needs to hear it. I have 
copied him on this post. I do not want this post to rekindle the fires of the 
collecting debate. This post is my opinion on a golden opportunity that he 
has been missed and the turmoil that has been created.

There is much to be said about Jeff Glassberg. In 1992 he founded the North 
American Butterfly Association, commonly called NABA, and he has grown this 
organization to 4,000+ members. In the world of recreational butterflying, he 
has become a very prominent and influential person. Prior to forming NABA he 
was a very successful business owner. He is to be admired and congratulated 
for his success and accomplishments.

However, his name continues to stir controversy among Lepidopterists' and 
butterfly watchers/enthusiasts. Whether on the Internet, local TV or 
newspapers, or in any conversation between Lepidopterists, Jeff Glassberg's 
name is sure to come up on a daily basis. Jeff Glassberg's name is almost a 
household word among Lepidopterists and butterfly watchers and enthusiasts. 
Jeff Glassberg is the North American Butterfly Association, or NABA. The 
names, Jeff Glassberg and NABA are synonymous. Whenever you hear one name, 
the other is sure to follow. The majority of NABA members are butterfly 
watchers and enthusiasts. Much like any other organizations, you have some 
members with a passion for butterflies, and others with a passing interest. 
You have some who are opposed to the collecting of butterflies and some who 
are not. There are also those who are Lepidopterists, however, the majority 
are not. NABA has a broad and diverse membership. The name NABA, like the 
name Jeff Glassberg, stirs controversy amongst Lepidopterists'.

There has been an ongoing debate on Leps-L and several other lists whether 
Jeff Glassberg opposes the collecting of butterflies. In June of 2001, I 
E-mailed Jeff Glassberg through this list and ask him specifically if he is 
opposed to the collecting of butterflies for any purpose. A simple yes or no 
answer with some explanation was all that was required. I also ask him to 
respond through the list. I did receive an off the list reply from Jeff 
Glassberg. It stated "Collecting of butterflies is not included among the 
purposes of NABA but NABA was not opposition to other groups for which this 
may be a legitimate purpose."  Regarding Jeff Glassberg's own position on 
collecting, his answer was: " I have written a number of letters to the News 
of the Lepidopterists' Society concerning this issue and I refer you to them. 
He never answered the question directly, nor did he answer it through the 
list. I pondered Jeff Glassberg's response for some time, especially 
"collecting for a legitimate purpose." Or are there groups that collect for 
illegitimate purposes.  I firmly believe that Jeff Glassberg has a large ego.

Look at what and how Jeff Glassberg has brought his and NABA's name to the 
fore front. The formation of NABA chapters around the country, a great 
publication, American Butterflies, the numerous butterflies through binocular 
field guides and the public awareness campaign. In the process of creating 
NABA, he has consistently played the Lepidopterists' against the butterfly 
watcher/enthusiast. He has portrayed Lepidopterists as collectors, or those 
who kill butterflies, not the scientist and students of Lepidoptera that they 
are. He has portrayed himself as the man who would not kill a butterfly, yet 
he was once a Lepidopterists that collected. Most members of NABA consider 
Jeff Glassberg to be a butterfly expert. Even the press in the recent Miami 
Blue articles in the South Florida newspapers consider him an expert. Jeff 
Glassberg's anti-collecting opinion is well known within NABA. Even some of 
his most staunch supporters cannot determine what he is attempting to 
accomplish with is anti-collecting comments. However, Jeff Glassberg is the 
sole voice of NABA and for him to come forth and state that he is not opposed 
to the collecting of butterflies would be against the grain of what he has 
said and this may/would tarnish his image. Those within NABA who are 
vehemently opposed to the collecting of butterflies would cry foul and would 
believe that he has betrayed them. Those who would feel betrayed could have a 
negative effect on NABA by forming a new organization of butterfly watchers 
and enthusiasts. This new organization could present a real challenge to 
NABA. Jeff Glassberg is no fool. Rather than confront the collecting issue, 
he remains silent and lets the Lepidopterists' beat their heads against the 
wall and cry aloud at the hills trying to prove that he is wrong. Even the 
mild mannered John Heppner was compelled to write an essay on Jeff 
Glassberg's anti-collecting views. During the most recent Jeff Glassberg/NABA 
thread on Leps-L, his name appeared in 166 times the third week of January. 
Not bad exposure for a guy who has nothing to say. 

The most disappointing issue that I have with Jeff Glassberg is the golden 
opportunity that he missed to help protect and preserve the butterflies that 
he claims to so dearly love. A coalition of Lepidopterists and butterfly 
watcher/enthusiasts would have become a powerful and influential force that 
may have generated considerable political clout for butterfly conservation 
and habitat protection. Instead Jeff Glassberg has chosen to divide these two 
groups rather than unite them. He refers to Lepidopterists' as collectors, 
and collectors are those who pose a threat to his beloved butterflies. He 
chooses to use words such as "collectors" for Lepidopterists, "dead 
butterflies" for illustrations of mounted specimens. Are these little 
innuendoes meant to degrade Lepidopterists? 

It is my opinion that his recent effort to obtain emergency listing for the 
Miami Blue was an attempt to gain credibility for him and NABA. However, the 
Miami Blue Butterfly Restoration Project currently underway actually 
demonstrates what can be accomplished when everyone, both Lepidopterists, 
butterfly watchers and enthusiast alike, work together. There is a lesson to 
be learned Jeff Glassberg.


Leroy C. Koehn
202 Redding Road
Georgetown, Kentucky
USA          40324-2622
Tele.: 502-570-9123
Cell: 502-803-5422
E-mail: Leptraps at aol.com

"Let's get among them"
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