New Butterflies & Birds!

Congratulations to member Mike Rickard, on another record U.S. butterfly sighting!  The COMMON BROWN-SKIPPER (Callimormus saturnus) was found March 22, 2018, at the National Butterfly Center. Historical claims put this ultra-rare species on some U.S. checklists, but Mike’s find and photo confirm its occurrence, here.  

On the same day, our own Luciano Guerra photographed a new bird for the NBC, the American Golden Plover. In fact, a total of five were found enjoying the newly-filled and restored wetland on the 70 acres south of the levee. We’re excited to see what other species are enticed to this special habitat on the banks of the Rio Grande River.

Are you Ready to Watch Sex, Lies & Butterflies?

Set a reminder for next Wednesday, April 4, at 8 p.m. EST, to watch the premier of PBS’ NATURE documentary filmed, in part, at the National Butterfly Center!  We are honored to be a part of this beautiful and educational production that showcases the importance of wild butterflies and teaches people so much about butterfly biology and behavior. You won’t want to miss this!

Border Wall Update

Friday, President Trump signed into law the new federal budget which provides funding for 33 new miles of Border Wall in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  While the bill spares Santa Ana NWR, the rest of the properties, both private and public, in the Wildlife Conservation Corridor are slated to be walled off. Unfortunately, 70% of the National Butterfly Center property will be behind the wall, and we do not know what, if any, access to it will be made available to us.

If you have been following this saga, here are a few things you should know:

1. The North American Butterfly Center has filed suit in Washington, D.C. against the federal government for actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security in advance preparation for Border Wall construction, without notice or due process of law, on our property last July. The government has appointed opposing counsel, and we are moving forward, presumably, toward a trial date.
2. Although the bill enacted Friday requires environmental impact analysis be done along the Southwest Border, prior to the erection of any “physical barriers”, this may not be required if and when the government invokes the waiver for such requirements in the Real ID Act.
3. You may hear talk of “border fencing” or a “levee fence”. This is NOT something other than Border Wall, it is simply another name for it based upon the government’s attempt to circumvent the law and exploit language in the easement provided for the levee system in which they have constructed the Border Wall in the past.  This fence/wall will be 18 ft of concrete with at least 12 ft of vertical steel bollards on top of it, as pictured.
4. We are being represented pro bono by two world-class organizations, Debevoise & Plimpton and the Texas Civil Right Project; however, there will continue to be many expenses related to the defense of our property. If you wish to contribute to our cause, please click here and use the box titled “Defend the NBC” to make a tax-deductible gift.