Subject: National Parks & coollecting

From: KENELM W PHILIP <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 00:40:32 -0800

Mr. O'Connor stated:

>If you enjoy watching butterflies through binoculars and you see me netting
>in a rare colony of metalmarks (and it may be rare only in that park) then
>I am diminishing your enjoyment...

        I don't know how things are done these days in National Parks in the
lower 48 states--but in Alaska many National Park collecting permits require
that collecting be done out of sight of the public. The scenario envisioned
by Mr. O'Connor would thus not occur, except for cases of illegal collecting.

        I might add that the insect fauna of many National Parks is not well
known, and with the specter of global warming looming on the horizon it is
essential that collecting and taxonomic work be carried out _now_ before we
find that the fauna is changing. It's difficult to protect a natural resource
when you don't know what you have...

        With a little care, scientific collecting and butterfly-watching can
coexist without diminishing people's enjoyment.

                                                Ken Philip
[email-masked]

---

From: Ron Royer <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1995 11:46:06 -0600

O'Connor stated:

Ken Philip replied:

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

It ought also to be pointed out that some people collecting legally within
a park (or elsewhere) may be offended by harassment from self-righteous
binocular wearers and that we all live in a democracy.

**********************************************************************
Ronald A. Royer
Division of Science
Minot State University, Minot ND 58707
701-857-3209 (Personal Office), 3161 (Division Office)
701-839-6933 (FAX), <[email-masked]>
**********************************************************************