Fwd: Monarch saviors

patrick foley patfoley at csus.edu
Mon Mar 8 15:40:53 EST 2004


Alex,

The Sierra Club includes many members you might not expect, such as Newt 
Gingrich. Does it surprise you that Teddy Roosevelt was a good friend of 
John Muir who helped to found the club?

Like all human institutions, I agree with some Sierra Club positions and 
disagree with others. The overall effect of the club has been very good 
for this country's air, water and wilderness. I wish they could do more.

The Sierra Club has nothing to do with the killing of a migratory 
raptor. Raptors have been off limits for hunting in most countries at 
most times back to the time of Robin Hood. And as John Shuey points out, 
it is a migratory bird covered by international treaties (I once was 
mildly amused to see a Redtailed Hawk patrolling an otherwise exotic 
montane paramo habitat in southern Costa Rica). The states assumed most 
of the rights of the King at the time of the North American colonies' 
independence and they have not relinquished their rights over wildlife. 
This is not some newfangled radical blow to common sense. It goes back 
to the divine right of kings. International treaties ratified by the US 
Senate constitutionally override the states' rights to regulate hunting. 
Perhaps we should ammend the constitution to make the only sanctified 
relationship between man and bird one that involves a gun. But at the 
moment, it is the citizens responsibility to know and obey the law.

In California private citizens cannot hunt mountain lions. The state can 
hunt the depredating lion if a depredation permit has been issued. This 
leads to a buildup of lion populations to near carrying capacity in 
rural areas and an unfortunate loss of human life. Perhaps one person 
every 5 years. We could rail and rant about this, or we could deal with 
our real problems: automobile death, drinking while driving etc. Who is 
the enemy? The Sierra Club? The citizens of California who decided (by 
referendum against the dubious arguments of Cal Fish and Game) not to 
allow lion hunting? The lions?

If you don't like the California, there is always Texas where, I 
believe, mountain lions are legally vermin and can be shot without 
license while you drive down the road with no more than one opened 
bottle per passenger in the pickup. The sad thing for Texas is that the 
Sierra Club didn't get its start there. You might even be able to find 
some public land to shoot up.

Patrick Foley
patfoley at csus.edu

Grkovich, Alex wrote:

> The Sierra Club is just another example of the "radical environmentalist"
> movement that threatens the freedom of citizens in this country. One wonders
> just WHO is secretly lurking behind such organizations, probably even
> unbeknown to many of the honest folks who lead these groups. Certainly
> conservation has to be at the forefront of the minds of all of us, and
> certainly IS there...But...the messages that are conveyed in their bulletins
> in which they advertise for new members (I just received one and it is now
> in the trash) are misleading and are plainly not truthful in all regards.
> 
> For example, hearings are on-going in terms of revising the (dangerously
> flawed) Endangered Species Act...The message here in the advertisement is :
> "Save all of this threatened wildlife..." which is of course the goal of all
> of us...What is NOT conveyed is the other side of the coin...Here is an
> example:
> 
> About two weeks ago I read in the Boston Globe an article (in Section 1)
> about a man is eastern Mass. who is currently (I believe that I do not
> understand this incorrectly, but I disavow any responsibility in this matter
> if I am in error...) being prosecuted for killing a Red Tailed Hawk (an
> "Endangered Species") which was threatening (killing) his livestock...Well,
> first, isn't the MAN'S interest and livelihood and FREEDOM on his own
> property, first and foremost (..."...for the Common Welfare..." as was
> written in the Declaration of Independence of our Republic) above that of an
> animal? And Red Tailed Hawks are now abundant in eastern Massachusetts, we
> have a colony of them in the conservation area behind our own property...I
> actually saw one near downtown Boston yesterday...So why on earth are they
> "Endangered"...
> 
> We need to write to Congress (Representatives Pombo, Walden and Cardoza)
> about the shortcomings of this dangerously flawed Act.
> 
> And no more money for the "Sierra Club"...
> 
> Alex
> 
> 
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From:	Paul Cherubini [SMTP:monarch at saber.net]
>>Sent:	Sunday, March 07, 2004 8:18 PM
>>To:	leps-l at lists.yale.edu
>>Subject:	Re: Fwd: Monarch saviors
>>
>>Richard Worth wrote:
>>
>>>FYI.  Some good news
>>>Butterfly Bodyguards
>>>illegal logging has put the monarch's survival at risk.
>>>To its rescue has come a Mexican butterfly patrol, including
>>>500 police as well as environmental inspectors and helicopters.
>>>So far, the effort has netted 28 illegal loggers and nearly 5,000
>>>cubic yards of ill-gotten wood.
>>
>>This Sierra Magazine article failed to inform the reader that
>>the harvested trees in this case were growing way below the
>>altitude where the monarchs cluster.  Therefore the "5,000
>>cubic yards of ill-gotten wood" did not actually represent any monarch
>>cluster habitat that was lost.  It follows that even if more of this
>>"illegal" type harvesting should occur in the future, it will not pose a
>>threat to the monarch. Thus the butterfly patrol people aren't really
>>"rescuing" the monarch.
>>
>>You see a few years ago, American monarch biologists arbitrarily
>>enlarged the Monarch Reserve boundaries way beyond and below 
>>the altitude where the monarchs cluster.  Understandably, some of 
>>the local people are angry about being deprived of access to 
>>large areas of forest which the butterflies don't actually need or 
>>use.
>>
>>Here is another actual case history of some illegal (apparently)
>>logging within the Chincua Monarch Reserve a few years ago
>>and my explanation as to why is it does not pose a threat to the 
>>monarch: http://www.saber.net/~monarch/chincualog.jpg
>>
>>Paul Cherubini
>>El Dorado, Calif.
>>
>> 
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