RE: NANFA-- Probability of Dead Stuff

Jay DeLong (thirdwind_at_att.net)
Fri, 8 Sep 2000 14:46:58 -0700

I used to see logging trucks on the Olympic Peninsula with cardboard signs
attached on that said "spotted owl mobile homes", and things like and "I
like my spotted owl cooked in Exxon oil." I admire your optimism. Yeah, to
save a species you have to get public support, so it puzzles me why so many
of these people who live in the woods with the owls and elk and old growth
trees are so unable to see the value of the ecosystem and keeping all the
parts intact. And it wasn't that they never saw spotted owls. Even though
spotted owls are rare they're not hard to find because they're so friendly
and inquisitive. They'll come if you call them, or drop in a branch of a
tree to watch you as you walk through the forest. Particularly because of
that experience, I hate the idea of letting the general public decide what
plants and animals should stay and which are expendible. There are lots of
people with selfish motives who care about the dollar only. When you talk
about encouraging interactions, I agree, but not when we humans insist we
get to choose the level of interaction (development, logging, etc.) and say
the animals have to adapt. I believe we need place a higher value on
protecting habitat than on the rights of humans to develop it.

--
Jay DeLong
Olympia, WA


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net On Behalf
> Of R. W. Wolff
> Sent: Friday, September 08, 2000 3:14 PM
> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Subject: Re: NANFA-- Probability of Dead Stuff
>
>
> The last wild passenger pigeon was supposedly shot and killed some miles
> west of here in Babcock.  I and others have seen larger than usual oddly
> patterned mourning doves that could possibly be relict populations of
> passenger pigeons. After reporting this to bioligists , I got the feeling
> they thought I was taking mind altering substances.  Anyway, the
> marsh here
> is so vast, a population could have easily made it.  AS for the day glo
> parakeet, nothing like them exists in their past range, and they are very
> visisble, so it is sadly true that they are gone.  I also think that
> limiting any human interaction with wild rare species in not a good Idea
> either, if no one can appreciate them, then who will really care when the
> time comes to put a parking lot over there last breeding /
> spawning grounds?
> All possible interactions with wild life must be promoted, so
> more and more
> people can be exposed to them.  Just think how many people in
> NANFA if NANFA
> did not exist woud even have learned about our fish?  Also, when human
> activity is so regulated, more people will have a growing
> animosity to these
> protected creatures, and hope for their demise.  I see the bumper stickers
> for " Wolf tastes like Chicken " here all the time.  You can
> possibly get in
> more trouble harming a wolf, than you could doing the same harm
> to a human,
> and that really bothers people.  Even if the wolf is attacking livestock,
> pets, or family members.  The more who know, the more who appreciate, the
> more who care that these will be there for future generations.  That is my
> opinion anyways.
> Ray
>




/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org