MBBA

I was making newspaper pots, I found an older article in the Manchester (NH) union leader, Mar 2 1999.
Head Line
"Maine Blackfly Breeders Asc. given an Ultimatum"

The 13 secret members were told to stop.

This Asc. want to change the State Bird to the Blackfly

The only MBBA member to ever go public was Peter Clarkson Crolius. But this was not until he died (1996). The was a statement in his self written obituary that he was the "self proclaimed chairman emeritus of the Maine Blackfly Breeders Asc."

Henry David Thoreau once wrote that Maine Blackflies were "more formidable wolves"

FWIW :-,)

Turn out they even have a Theme Song..

Maine Blackfly Breeders Association Song
by Zara Dowling
It was early in the spring I decided to go,
To work savin' blackflies in the woods of Jonesboro.
I knew it would be hard and I knew it would be slow,
But the blackfly population was dangerously low.

Chorus: And the blackfly, the little blackfly,
Always the blackfly, that's got to be the way.
I'll die with the blackfly picking my bones,
Thanks to the M-B-B-A.

As soon as I arrived I was put on a team,
We counted all the blackflies and we found reams.
They populated every marsh, and every stream,
But there's yet to be our 2 billion acre dream.
Chorus:
Of our own lifeblood we let the blackflies eat,
And we kept them safe from bug swatters and DEET.
We nurtured them and we helped them grow,
Then we let them breed in the town of Jonesboro.
Chorus:
I feel despair as I walk down the street,
They re aren't many bite-scabs on the people I meet.
They haven't been bit by their blackfly quota,
But they don't seem to care, not one iota.
Chorus:
It's hard, hard work but we do it anyway,
So flies will be around for our children some day.
As the flies swamp heavy we'll hear them say,
"I'm enjoying this thanks to the MBBA."

MAY THE SWARM BE WITH YOU..