Background

In mid-summer ‘07, Grasslands Naturalists (GN) brought to the Nature Alberta Board a suggestion for developing a policy on insect collecting – or rather, over-collecting – particularly ofLepidotera (butterflies and moths). The plan was to devote a few pages of Nature Alberta to the discussion. However, the idea elicited a number of lengthy, detailed emails and letters from Alberta entomologists attempting to explain and justify collecting by amateurs and professionals.

As a result, Nature Alberta’s website will be the venue for this discussion. While the entomologists perhaps mis-read the intent of GN’s suggestion, the ensuing dialogue is a highly positive exercise, as analyses and evaluation of our activities in nature always are. The discussion should be educational, informative and a reminder of scientific ethics that everyone, from the curious to the professional, should enjoy considerably.