Counts, Pollinator Week Highlight Butterflies' Vital Role

Pollinator Week, June 22-28, couldn’t come at a more appropriate time in Georgia. The first of 12 butterfly counts in the state start this week.

The purpose of Pollinator Week, recognized by Gov. Sonny Perdue with a proclamation, is to teach pollinator-friendly practices and raise awareness of the importance of the birds, bees, bats, beetles, butterflies, moths and flies needed to produce 80 percent of flowering plants and a third of food crops.

There is evidence some pollinator species in North America are declining, according to the National Academy of Sciences. As Georgia’s butterflies flutter through the state, biologists with the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources want to remind residents that butterflies are key pollinators for many flowering plants and crops.

DNR biologists and volunteers working with the North American Butterfly Association are coordinating counts to provide a better idea of the status of butterfly populations in Georgia.

“Compared to Georgia’s vertebrate wildlife, relatively little is known about our insects, even highly visible and beautiful species like butterflies,” said wildlife biologist Tim Keyes of Wildlife Resources’ Nongame Conservation Section. “As public interest grows in these charismatic and important insects, the knowledge can help contribute to baseline knowledge of species distribution, abundance and eventually their response to habitat, weather and climate changes.”

Keyes will lead a July 6 count at Bond Swamp National Wildlife Refuge near Macon. Other events are scheduled from Rabun to Dougherty County (details at www.naba.org/counts.html).

Retired entomologist Jerry Payne organizes the count at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge and Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area north of Macon – set for Friday, June 26 – and takes part in five others.

Butterflies are sensitive indicators of the environment’s health because of their dependence on specific plants where they lay eggs and feed, and even certain habitats, Payne explained. Counting them also has its rewards. “They’re colorful as fireworks and a lot less dangerous,” he said.

The data volunteers collect is compiled into a report that researchers use to study geographical distribution and population sizes. Comparisons of years of data – 2009 marks the 35th year of counts – yield some of the best information for determining the health of butterfly species.

Georgia is home to about 165 of those species. While monarchs are the best known of the butterfly migrants, many other species, including cloudless sulphur, gulf fritillary, painted and American ladies, and Georgia’s state butterfly, the eastern tiger swallowtail, are also migratory, although the exact nature of their migratory flights is not well understood.

For a list of Georgia’s butterflies and more information on how you can participate in the counts or other Pollinator Week activities, visit these Web sites: DNR Wildlife Resource (www.georgiawildlife.com), the North American Butterfly Association (www.naba.org/counts.html) and Pollinator Partnership (www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2009.htm). Weather can change count dates.

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Winder, Georgia Public Housing Authority Settles Race Discrimination Housing Complaint With Justice Department

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Justice Department today announced a settlement that, pending court approval, will require the Housing Authority for the City of Winder, Ga., (WHA), to pay up to $490,000 to resolve allegations that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discriminating against African-American tenants and housing applicants.

The WHA is a public housing authority that provides housing for persons of low income in Barrow County, Ga. Currently, the WHA owns and maintains nine public housing complexes in the city of Winder, and the neighboring towns of Statham and Braselton, Ga.

The complaint, which was filed today in the U.S. District Court in Gainesville, Ga., in conjunction with the consent decree, alleges that the WHA maintained racially segregated housing by assigning applicants to vacant units based on race, rather than in order of their placement on WHA's waiting list. The complaint also alleges that the WHA subjected African-American tenants to inferior terms and conditions of rental.

"Every person, including individuals who seek public assistance, has a right to be free from racial discrimination in housing," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Department will continue its vigorous enforcement of the Fair Housing Act."

Upon court approval, the consent decree will require the WHA to implement nondiscriminatory policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act. The WHA will also provide training on the nondiscriminatory policies and procedures and the Fair Housing Act to its employees responsible for making housing decisions. In addition, WHA will ensure that housing units are made available for rent on an equal basis with the same terms and conditions for all persons, regardless of race.

In addition, the WHA will establish a $450,000 fund to compensate individuals who suffered damages as a result of the WHA's conduct and will pay a $40,000 civil penalty to the United States.

Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of housing discrimination can call the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-800-896-7743, e-mail the Justice Department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov, or contact the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777.

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. Since Jan. 1, 2001, the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has filed 267 cases to enforce the Fair Housing Act, 77 of which have alleged discrimination based on race. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.

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