Fly Away

[mbpi at juno.com]

Well, bless my fly swatter...it's hard to believe that nearly 10 years
have passed since I first received an annoymous packet from the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife containing the preliminary case study on the "Delhi Sands
Flower-Loving Fly!"

I was presiding president of NABA New York at the time...so in the
interest of science (and my position as a disseminator of relevant
species information), I stumped on behalf of the ignoble fly to the New
York chapter...alas, to no avail.  True to the New York state-of-mind: 
nothing west of the Hudson had any importance/interest.  Even the
annonymous purveyor of the formidable tome (which I read from cover to
cover), wouldn't come forth when I asked them to reveal themselves (!) 
Consequently, the fly "bit-the-dust" (prematurely) on the East
Coast...though I suppose I still retain the copious study somewhere in
one of my unopened boxes of New York effluvia...

Sounds like the fly is about to "bite-the-dust" in its home state as well
(!)  Here we have a fly that IS an "exception" to its maligned taxa
group, expressing similarities to butterflies, and the best advocate that
can be mustered on its behalf is a former "child star" that nobody
remembers (!)

What a world....

M.B. Prondzinski



On Thu, 26 Sep 2002 05:30:52 -0400 Mark Walker <MWalker at gensym.com>
writes:
California Town Wants Only Fly on Endangered Species List to Be Taken Off

9/26/02 9:06AM 
By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer 
COLTON, Calif. (AP) - For years, city officials have wished the problem
would just buzz off.
On Wednesday, the city of Colton went further, challenging the protection
of the tiny Delhi Sands flower-loving fly - the only fly ever to make the
Endangered Species List. Its home is in sand dunes east of Los Angeles,
and protecting it has halted construction projects and cost millions in
local tax revenue.
Mayor Deirdre H. Bennett said the city would no longer participate in
efforts to create a habitat for the fly and would work to get the fly off
the endangered list.
"I am directing the staff to work with the County of San Bernardino ...
to delist the fly as an endangered species. I am also requesting that
together we look into the possibility of filing litigation," Bennett said
at a news conference.
"Our region has lost it's ability to provide safety improvements and jobs
to its residents because of a fly."
For years, the fly has held up private development and public improvement
projects in Colton, a community of 49,000, and other nearby cities. Those
projects include plans to install street lights at the dunes, which have
become an illegal dumping ground.
More recently, the fly stopped the development of a $10 million sports
complex in Colton and a multimillion-dollar county project to improve a
freeway interchange that was supposed to be a main artery between
Interstate 10 and Interstate 210, Bennett said.
The mayor said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would allow the
projects if the city bought, set aside and maintained additional land.
"Why for the sake of a fly do we have to spend more than $3.5 million of
taxpayer money for a $10 million project?" said Kathy A. Kivley, the
assistant city manager.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said it was not trying to prevent the city
from limiting its development.
"The Endangered Species Act does not differentiate between a species that
is cute and fuzzy with a species that may not have the charisma but has a
value. The intent of the act was conserve our natural, native fish,
wildlife and plants," said spokeswoman Jane Herndon.
Herndon said despite the status of the fly, numerous development projects
have been completed within the county, including Colton, over the years.
"The city of Colton is not unique in having an endangered species. All
across this country, we have cities that have endangered species ... and
we've worked together in partnership to develop a plan that makes
biological sense and balance the conservation needs of the species and
opportunity for economic development."
The fly, an orange-brown insect the size of a straight pin, was
designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an endangered species
in 1993. It became the first and only fly to ever make the list after a
petition by local entomologist and one-time child actor Rick Rogers.
San Bernardino and Riverside counties, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, are
the only known breeding grounds of the fly, which reproduces in the fine
Delhi Sand Dunes. The dunes were created over the years by the Santa Ana
winds carrying grit from the mountains and dropping it in the desert
valley.
The flies only emerge for eight weeks a year - between August and
September - to lay eggs, and then die off until the next year. There are
believed to be several thousand left.
(c) 2002 AT&T and The Associated Press. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The
information contained in the AP Online news report may not be republished
or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated
Press. 
 
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