President’s Report for 2020
The Miami Blue Chapter had a successful 2020 on several fronts, despite the unusual circumstances that confronted all of us. Covid-19, among other things, limited the number of our in-person activities, including field trips, and it altered the format of our meetings.
- We had four general membership meetings in 2020, each with a guest speaker: in February (in person), and May, August and November (all Zoom). Each was attended by 20+ persons. The last of these, featured Marianna Trevino-Wright, Executive Director of the National Butterfly Center (Mission, Texas).
… - A joint meeting of several of south and central Florida NABA chapters–with J. Glassberg as featured speaker–was scheduled for March 2020, but was preempted by the virus.
… - In March and June, the Miami Blue Chapter sponsored four NABA Butterfly Counts: two at Shark Valley (Everglades National Park), and one each at Loop Road (Pinecrest/Tri-County) and Coral Gables. Eight to fifteen observers participated in each count.
… - In the late spring and early summer several of our members participated in the on-going, annual Schaus’ Swallowtail surveys conducted on Upper Key Largo. The reader will appreciate that this is not easy work, as it involves an abundance of heat, humidity and mosquitoes.
… - Beginning July 2020, we initiated and are fostering an “experimental pollinator site” with the assistance of the City of Coral Gables. it is located in Coral Gables at the southwest corner of the intersection of Bird Road and Toledo Street. This effort is described in more detail on our website. The Coral Gables Garden Club has also joined us in this project.
… - The Chapter routinely promotes butterfly habitat conservation in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys. We have been particularly active in seeking protection for the Richmond Pineland. As part of the effort to protect that particular pineland, the Chapter was a plaintiff, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, et al., in a federal action brought against the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to require the Service to designate critical habitat for the federally-endangered Florida Bonneted bat. This action settled in 2019, and in 2020, the Service proposed habitat. We, along with many others, have commented thereon. Further, we routinely encourage our membership to reach out to our local elected representatives and regulators to encourage good stewardship of butterfly habitat.
… - Two of our members, Jaeson Clayborn and Adam Skowronski, had articles published about/by them in the Fall and Winter editions, respectively, of American Butterflies. I encourage you to read both.
… - Over the last several months, a small group of socially-distanced Chapter members has conducted approximately 25 surveys in southern Miami-Dade County, specifically in search of the Tropical Buckeye, with much success. On a less heartening note, the Bartrams’ Scrub-Hairstreak, also a target for this group, has been much more difficult to find.
… - The Chapter has begun to support the Institute for Regional Conservation a native plant and habitat conservation organization.
… - We are assisting NABA representatives in trying to identify for purchase pine rockland property in south Miami–Dade. A “Go Fund Me” account has been established by NABA to assist in raising acquisition funds; it can be accessed here.
… - A Chapter representative is a continuing member of the Executive Committee of the Imperiled Butterfly Working Group.
… - We have recently produced a new butterfly checklist for southeastern Florida. This was made possible with the financial assistance from FP&L and a bequest from this Chapter’s first President, the late Robert Kelley.
… - Finally, your Chapter management team conducted a goals conference (via Zoom) in November. We expect to begin to implement some, if not all, of the steps required to address the identified goals. I hope to provide more details in this regard in a subsequent, open letter to the membership.
Dennis J. Olle
President
Miami Blue Chapter
North American Butterfly Association