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02/27/2005: Butterflies Aren't Free
Monarch Butterflys may be heading the way of the Platypus and other extinct creatures as the natives of Mexico consider the value of the "wintering home of trees" versus the "cash crop for timber" between "North America's most spectacular natural wonders and trees that could be sawed down and sold for $300 each.""We can contemplate the butterflies," said Cruz, a lawyer. "Or we can send our children to school and feed our families" with the cash from the cut trees. "It's a tough choice."
The winter migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico, a stunning sight that draws vast numbers of tourists to mountain forests 100 miles west of Mexico City, has been devastated this year. One of the chief causes is logging that destroys butterfly sanctuaries, according to Mexican and U.S. environmentalists."
Karen on 02.27.05 @ 05:05 AM CST
