Miami Blue ACTION!

[Patrick Foley]

Ron,

If the butterfly is listed, then the agency in charge of the site will
certainly have to find a way to ward off any "watching" activity that results
in damage to the critical habitat.

Listing is not a matter of what would be convenient for you or me or J
Glassberg. It is a matter of ascertaining the level of vulnerability of the
species.

Patrick Foley
patfoley at csus.edu

Ron Gatrelle wrote:

> Amid all the retoric and public posturing to the cameras and microphones,
> what is the most important _on site_ action that has occurred relative to
> the Miami Blue situation in south Florida?
>
> There is a clear and unambiguious answer to that one.  It was Jeff
> Glassberg's announcemnt to the world of exactly where the butterfly _site_
> was located.
>
> What is the result of this action?  The destruction of the only known
> habitat area for this butterfly by _butterfly watchers_ and likely the
> death of trampled larvae on the plants.    The following is from our MBBRP
> team who visited the location only to find this horror story.  Some
> bracketed remarks for clairity add by me.
>
> "...But what distresses me [Bob Parcelles] most is that a team [from
> MBBRP]with a complete support staff funded by the Coffy-Mellon Foundation,
> under the auspices of Joe Coffy, went this week to the [state] park and
> found large numbers of sight seeer's,(sp?) photographers and tourists (many
> from Germany) all over the habitat of the Miami Blue with quite a toll
> taken of the plants.  We located bugs in a perilous situations.   Several
> "classes" were given and a few individuals were also educated in the
> strongest terms to NOT walk on the remaining individuals of this
> subspecies. Were these the "docents".   Contain this situation.please!!!
> If we had the money we would place armed guards there immediately."
>
> Since Glassberg's announcement (action), there has evidently  been a steady
> stream of watchers to the area to get their trophy photo of the insect.
> (And this is as expected as this was allegedly the reason the location was
> divulged - so the watchers could go "watch".)  Collectors are often
> inferred to be - evil collectors.   Well, here we have a perfect example
> of - evil watchers.  But they are only following the lead of one who spends
> days in endangered species habitat trampling marsh and (bug?) to get their
> own trophy photograph.
>
> In the above quote, Bob's remark of "Contain this situation.please!!!"  was
> directed to one Robert Kelley who is apparently now one of Jeff's main
> functionaries in regard to the NABA version of helping this butterfly.
> Here is Dr. Kelley's response.
>
> "It would seem that the State Park people need to fence off that area ASAP,
> and I will be contacting Renate Skinner, the regional biologist to see if
> that can be done."
>
> Why a fence?  To keep the _watchers_ out and off the plants.  Why are they
> there?  Because Jeff Glassberg told them exactly where to go.  Who is the
> fence trying to keep out?   NABA members?  Who is wanting a fence?  Kelly,
> a NABA leader.
>
> I seem to remember an old story that went around years ago about another
> fence.  This one was installed by Jeff himself, if my memory serves me
> correctly, to keep "collectors" away from a Mitchell's Satyr colony.   Now
> we need another fence to keep "watchers" (not poachers) off the only known
> Miami Blue site.   Lesson.  It is people in general who are bad, not the
> avenue they choose to interact with leps.   There are just as many "evil
> watchers" as there are "evil collectors".   Actually, that is likely not
> true as there are 4 or 5 or 10 times as many watchers as collectors.   By
> sheer expediential numbers there are more bad apples in any bigger bunch.
> Conversely, there are as many good guy collectors, breeders, etc as there
> are good buy watchers.  However, at this point the reality is that the main
> thing (by far) butterfly needs help being protected from are those who want
> to watch them.
>
> Ron Gatrelle
>
> PS  Listing this butterfly as "endangered" will not stop this watching
> danger.  The colony is already protected from collectors as it is located
> in a Fl State Park.
>
>
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