Miami Blue

Sun Sep 22 16:12:48 EDT 2002

In a message dated 9/22/02 9:33:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dinah.pulver at news-jrnl.com writes:

> Thanks Bob. I had to go with 50, Jeff G. said he thought that would be OK.
> Here's the stories. Too bad you can't get the paper there. The graphic that
> ran on the local front with the story is really something, with photos of
> the 5 butterflies including the blue we got from Randy Emmitt. It was
> beautiful.
> 
> 
> http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/Sep/22/AREA6.htm
> 
> http://www.news-journalonline.com/2002/Sep/22/AREA6B.htm
> 
> 
> 

Dinah,

Both stories are great! You know well what a fan I am of your writing. I post 
all of your environmental stories to Nature potpourri and even some minor 
lists :). The first captures the essence of the problems we face in Florida 
and the beauty of the insects. Please send me snail mail a copy of the story 
so I can see the photos. Randy's of course I have seen and have. Jeff is 
correct 50 is all right

I do need to clarify some points on part of the second (b) article. JG says 
50. We have one of our primary scientists there every week and there are 
hundreds. Of course if federal listing is your only intention that 50 makes 
for better press. I only work with science and the facts. It is a shame you 
did not have time to use the 7 attachments I sent you. Even some of our Anne 
Klilmer and Phyllis Baker and at least half of our A-Team (Science 
Coordinators) do not have all of it. 

We are the only restoration project. Listing will spell suicide for the bug. 
Even the hint of it taking place will bring some whacko, (not a collector!) a 
pro growth fanatic with a spray can. I have had 2 people I know promise it. 
plus I have gotten 2 threatening emails which I will turn over to the feds in 
due course. Meanwhile I hope we can track the  slugs. With anti MBBRP 
sentiment by JG's field personas well his lawyer following "his grad student" 
around making a case to sue the feds, lets you and I write a book. iI would 
outsell that trashy _Orchid Thief_ I am sure.

We count hundreds but it is still a most unstable population. We can and will 
restore it to diversified habitats and sites before it is listed I am sure. 
But science first. Our A Team has the best experts in the world minus a 
couple who I hope come back aboard fast we need their help do\esperately in 
order to get the restoration started. 

The A-team Directs and coordinates our research both basic and applied. We 
have Mark Walker as CO-Chariman of the MBBP/A-Team Director, David  Fine, 
Chief Field Investigator, Dr. Kurt Johnson, world expert for the 'blues",  
Leroy Koehn, noted field entomologist and an expert on FL species, Dr. David 
Lohman (Harvard, Ants) John Mathews (harvard... ants, lycaenids {family the 
Miami Blue is in}, Dr. Veronica Smith,  now Neal Jones (UK) and Nigel Winters 
(UK) are formerly being invited to join the A-Team and several others coming 
in either the A Team or the large C-Team (Consultants) I

The B_ Team is Under Jose Muniz, also Assistant Task Force Director, Rick 
Mikula, Ed Reinertsen , Mia and Tom Mazza {also task force Regional 
Directors}, Ron Boender {*Butterfly World *and a Regional Task Force 
Director}. And hundreds of others waiting to breed this butterfly! 

C-Team , at this time, is also under Mark Walker with my help. These are the 
molecular biologists, DNA experts, botanists, ecologists other ant experts, 
and 40 plus leps people with ideas and the willingness to do their part. and 
the 2 biogeographers who am looking for. I believe this C-Team includes John 
Calhoun and the original biologists who worked on this subspecies. I sent you 
their work and John's brilliant brochure. We need money to distribute the ID 
brochures to motivate the masses. That is the purpose of PR. I hope you do a 
3rd article using the background and deep background I sent you and an 
interview to tell you which is which. 

I find the biology of the C. thomasi bethunbakeri to be fascinating. Does the 
real habitat exist on upper dune communities or are these just beach heads. 
Or does the bug just go where the host is? Then if true why has it not? Is 
spraying limiting it? Ants are a key but what is the lock? Watching and 
counting is great work and NABA members (theirs and ours) are doing just 
that. But it takes not just ancedotal research but quantitative . Do we have 
any etholgists? Yes myself and a very trainable young genious David  Fine. I 
need 3 volounteers to sit with him an whole day and record their behavior 
(not the researchers but the butterflies!).  I heard David did a great job up 
at the Southern Lepidopterists meeting yesterday. I hope every member joins 
the C-Team right now!

I think NABA is great! I was a member until a year ago June (or July) when 
they took people to the last known site of the Miami Blue Butterfly, after 
declining to tell scientists working on the beast where it was!!! Or was it 
the new invasion of another population? They do not have a clue...We will 
find out.

Nevertheless I plan to rejoin NABA and I want all who read this to join NOW! 
The magazine is great, as a Master Photographer I would say Jeff is a very 
good photographer. His lighting is flat but anyone with as many degrees as he 
has can surely learn these basics. Maybe Tim Adams and Randy Emmitt could 
teach him a thing or two.  

NABA has a little restricted editorial policy but these 3,000 new members can 
surely change that. Look at the knowledge and vigor we could instill in your 
chapters. look how many dozens of new chapters their would be. I know at 
least 50 Watcher only people who have never heard of NABA. Duh it sounds like 
the AOU does to the average _advanced_ birder. We will change all of that! 
Some trips will be non consumptive and some a little collecting for bugs in 
hand and then the release.

 Ohhhhhhthe release it is wonderful. I went to a bar Mitzvah where they 
realized 800 Monarchs. what a beautiful happy site. Of course I went off 
about cluttering up the gene pool and such and people thought I was crazy to 
talk about wearing jeans in the pool. Such is life, Dinah. 

Meanwhile back to NABA. Can you see the thousands of people using Butterfly 
Restoration Plans as we (MBBRP) are writing as we go and Dr. tom Emmels 
marvelous work. I am getting high blood pressure just thinking about it.

I would like 4 of us to run and campaign actively for the board of Directors. 
This says the North American Butterfly Association. Well, we need Canadians 
and Mexicans and breeders and collectors and SCIENTISTS. Hey, this is AMERICA 
where we agree to disagree. Is it a sin for a freckled faced kid to catch a 
butterfly and put it in cigar box for show and tell. Give me a break NABA is 
stable now. It, as PESG in the future, needs more that one man's edicts!

But let me tell you, It is nice to get up and shave the boss. Is that not 
right Jeff.

<A HREF="http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/distr/lepid/bflyusa/usa/248.htm">Butterflies of North America -- Hemiargus thomasi</A> 
<A HREF="http://www.tils-ttr.org/">
TILS</A> 
<A HREF="http://www.citylinkmagazine.com/coverstory.html">
The Butterfly Blues</A> <A HREF="http://www.wildlifewebsite.com/miamiblue/">Miami Blue Butterfly - The Campaign for the Restoration 
of the Miami Blue Butte</A> 

<A HREF="http://tils-ttr.org/donate.html">Make check payable to: TILS</A>

Please, Everyone who reads this, please go to the TILS site and write a check 
$5, $20, $50 what ever you can spare! Please do it right now. Help us print 
this flier and get it out to everyone in south Florida. Let us save this 
butterfly and have the base line we need for the other species in the first 
article. I

If 500 of you great people out there would only send Just 2/week (ten per 
month) In 4 months we world be done and doing ongoing surveys. Much better 
than using tax money, aye?

JOIN US NOW! 

If you live in south Florida contact:

Anne Kilmer, Project CO-Chair/OPs and Task Force ("Miami Blue Crew")
at:  viceroy at GATE.NET 
she will also link you to tee-shirts and other such stuff. We even have 2 
songs to sing and dance to.

Also, cc: The Assitant Director, Jose Muniz at
jmuniz at amazingbutterflies.com

I have set up a list serve (Yahoo Group) Just for Project and Task Force 
Members. Therefore you must during the 3 weeks interim before activation e 
mail me with "Join MBBP List activate this. The 3 CO-Chairs Mark 
Walker/Science, Anne Kilmer/Operations and Task force and Phyliss 
Baker/Support  and myself will have moderation settings. Joining is moderated 
but posting is not. I expect it to be a low traffic site.

Policy's will be printed on site and documents, files, photos and member 
polls will be active. ALL members must be able to sign into the site. We will 
have directories and other databases managed by a computer volunteer. This 
for people active in the project present and future or people interested in 
our success. Nature Potpourri and TILS-Leps-Talk can satisfy most needs for 
information.

My Dear Dinah, a lot of words to answer the question did I "Think the fifty 
was right." Sorry missed the deadline but I was "out amongst them"

Bob Parcelles, Jr.

Miami Blue Butterfly Restoration Project
Sponsored by The International Lepidoptera Survey and PROactive Ecology 
solutions Group 
and its Institute of Ecological and environmental studies

PS: Pleas join TILS TALK, Nature Potpourri and "Mom send money...please!"

Yep Joe Coffy and i were the guys in 1963 during the Hurricanes game on ABC 
who helped raise the massive banner...shucks Joe bought it. 

*******************************************************************************

*****
Bob Parcelles, Jr.
93085 6th ST
Pinellas Park, FL 33782
Ecologist/Ethologist, RJP Associates
PROACTIVE ECOLOGY SOLUTIONS GROUP
INSTITUTE FOR ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
ECOLOGY TODAY... TALK RADIO
Reply To: parcbob at aol.com
Phone: (727) 548-9775
Fax: (720) 441-3682

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