Subject: Re: Rare butterfly site subject to direct action

From: Patrick Roper <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 3 Jun 1995 20:01:19 +0100

>Events at a site for the Marsh Fritillary Eurodryas (syn Euphydryas) aurinia
>have taken an unusual turn. The site at Selar Farm, Cwmgwrach in the
>Neath Valley in South Wales was being destroyed for an opencast mine.

The mining company had better be careful.  The Welsh word "cwmgwrach"
(pronounced roughly "koom goo rarckh"), means "valley of the witch".  They
may find they have rather more than butterflies to reckon with!

Patrick Roper
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South View, Sedlescombe, Battle, East Sussex TN33 0PE, UK
Telephone:  (01424) 870208; Fax: (01424) 870208
Email: [email-masked]
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From: Neil Jones <[email-masked]>
Date: 17 Jun 1995 22:39:56 +0100

The story of the tree-dwelling protesters at Selar in the Neath Valley, Wales
have taken a new turn. The protestors are halting work to destroy a site for
the rare Marsh Fritillary Butterfly (Eurodryas aurinia).
Local newspapers are carrying reports of developments. At a court in the Welsh
capital of Cardiff on Thursday, a lone protester spent over 2 hours arguing
against four legal representatives of the mining company. The judge eventually
awarded an eviction order against the protesters. The tree people, however,
have vowed not to leave and have constructed a network of aerial walkways
and tree-houses across the site. They also have gained a great deal of support
>from  local people who believe that their lives are being blighted by the mine.
  One report states that two policemen visited the site investigating
a complaint of damage to the rare butterflies. The protesters believe that
this was actually a reconnaisance mission for the forthcoming eviction battle.
The involvement of the police does have a certain irony as the two other
(formerly native) British Butterfly species listed under the European Habitats
Directive are the "Large Copper" and the "Large Blue".
(For non British readers policemen are often refered to as "Coppers" or "the
boys in blue.")
One wonders whether there has ever been this kind of protest over any other
butterfly site in the past.

-- 
Neil Jones
[email-masked]