In case you missed it, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon dismissed our lawsuit on February 14, 2019, without ever granting a single hearing. In response to this action, we have filed an appeal.
Dr. Jeffrey Glassberg, founder of the North American Butterfly Association, issued the following statement: “We have filed an appeal in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. We respectfully disagree with the decision of the court and remain convinced that the Constitution of the United States of America protects us, our guests and our property from the continuing intrusions onto The National Butterfly Center.”
Who ever dreamed NABA would be at the center of a battle for the borderlands, standing against the government’s single, largest, private property grab in modern history? Dr. Glassberg briefly addresses this issue in his Letter from the Editor in the latest issue of American Butterflies. His piece is titled, Balancing the U.S. Constitution on a Butterfly’s Back, and touches on the roll back of civil rights, such as the right to privacy, and the dangerous expansion of the police state.
To everyone who has contributed to our campaign to protect and preserve the National Butterfly Center, we say, “THANK YOU!” This will be a prolonged war against an awful agenda. We appreciate your faithfulness in fighting with us, sharing our story, and making sure your Senators and Representatives understand your position concerning the border wall, habitat and species conservation, the sanctity of the Constitution and civil liberties, the realities of climate change, and the vital importance of wild butterflies to our health and survival.
Sierra Club Camps Out
Last week, we had the privilege of hosting almost a dozen U.S. military veterans and two activists from the Indivisible Tohono movement. These members of the Sierra Club’s Military Outdoors program chose to camp out at the National Butterfly Center to experience, first-hand, the militarization of our communities, the “crisis at the border” and the “state of emergency.”
Everyone had a wonderful time!
We would never presume to speak for these courageous men and women who have served our country in foreign wars—who have survived combat and seen the ravages of real emergencies; so, please, follow some of the links below to read what they have to say about their time here in their own words, and watch for more print and video releases regarding their time in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
We are grateful to the Sierra Club Military Outdoors program for honoring us with their presence and encourage everyone to donate to this program, if possible, to support future outings that offer opportunities for advocacy and healing for those who have sacrificed so much.
More bold words from the Sierra Club Military Outdoors veterans who came to experience the Lower Rio Grande Valley first-hand:
Amine Tourki, an Army translator in Iraq, did not realize he was standing on the aerial survey X for the future border wall placed at the Roma Bluffs by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He thinks “using a wall to stop immigration is like trying to stop the rain.”
We’re Hiring!
The National Butterfly Center is in search of a fulltime groundskeeper + educator; one to work the gardens and one to work the nursery, while contributing to our environmental education programs and field trips. Knowledge of butterflies, birds, bugs and plants is not required, but one must find fulfillment outside, among the wild things.
Candidates who love the outdoors, laugh at the heat and the rain, do not fear creepy crawlies, spontaneously sing to the trees and live to share their contagious fascination with the natural world are welcome to apply.
SAVE THE DATE:
24th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival
We racked up over 116 species and lots of precious memories last year, so SAVE THE DATE for 2019, and join us for this all-inclusive BUTTERFLY BONANZA!!!
We would never presume to speak for these courageous men and women who have served our country in foreign wars—who have survived combat and seen the ravages of real emergencies; so, please, follow some of the links below to read what they have to say about their time here in their own words, and watch for more print and video releases regarding their time in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
