The administration is also questioning whether to preserve "critical habitat" designations that safeguard millions of acres for about 10 other endangered species.
International cooperation led to intense competition, as cities elbowed each other aside in the bid for coveted designations that would put them in the spotlight of global media.
But in practice most places that are still good for butterflies are protected with by-laws and other designations that effectively outlaw collecting.
It's not clear exactly how many restaurants in Connecticut define themselves as clam shacks because there are no regulatory designations that distinguish clam shacks from other types of restaurants.
And yet, it's a quietly radical one, signposting the way to a post-identity politics era in which "lesbian comedy" and "gay comedian" (designations that were themselves at the vanguard of change until recently) might start to sound frightfully declasse.
Still, there are designations that must remain sacrosanct, and some serious infractions indicate it is time to call in the food cops and perhaps to pass a law or two.
