Lady Butterfly, Kin of Daniel Boone, Celebrates Early

The Tribune
November 5, 2002
Story by Stephanie Finucane

Nipomo's butterfly lady, Sheila Boone, turned 61 on Sunday. But she said her best birthday present came a day early.

"I tell you, the Butterflies by the Beach was the best birthday present I've had in my life, after six years of pounding the drum," said Boone, who's been working that long to establish a butterfly conservatory and botanical garden on the Central Coast. She was referring to Pismo's big celebration of the monarch, which included a butterfly parade to the end of the pier.

Boone - a descendant of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone - is working hard through her nonprofit group to make the Daniel Boone Butterfly Palace a reality.

Boone thought she found a perfect home in Nipomo, near the site of the planned Willow Road interchange. But the deal fell through after two years of complex negotiations, she said. Recent escalation in Nipomo area property values was one factor, she said; the asking price jumped some $3 million in a couple of years. Since then, she's been contacted by a few potential property donors who own sites in Pismo Beach and northern Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Meanwhile Boone continues her educational programs. She has a new book out, "Free as a Butterfly" for primary-grade students.

*Free as a Butterfly Publisher Images Press

S. Boone Productions

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