Bush Seeks to Render Endangered Species Act Comatose

ABC News reports that the Bush administration is seeking to make extinct parts of the Endangered Species Act. The following is a bit from that story, Bush to Relax Protected Species Rules:

The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction projects might harm endangered animals and plants.

New regulations, which don't require the approval of Congress, would reduce the mandatory, independent reviews government scientists have been performing for 35 years, according to a draft first obtained by The Associated Press.

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said late Monday the changes were needed to ensure that the Endangered Species Act would not be used as a "back door" to regulate the gases blamed for global warming.

Well, that's pretty damned ridiculous. He says right there that his interest isn't "species," it's regulation of gases alleged to affect global warming. He's got his regulations mixed up. (Having things mixed-up seems to be common in the proud-of-his-college-"c"-average Bush administration.) Will somebody please slap the guy and yell "Snap out of it!"

Essentially, Bush proposes to "relax" current natural resources and wildlife policies, leaving the welfare of our natural resources and wildlife to be determined by federal agencies (such as the Dept. of Transportation) that know nothing about land and life, instead of agencies that do (Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, etc.).

Who needs independent assessments, second opinions, scientific input, diverse perspectives, or even a brain for that matter? Not us.

Would any of these federal agencies have proposed these projects in the first place if they thought it might be a problem? No, they wouldn't have wasted their time. If Bush has his way, these federal agencies will just go ahead with their projects without concern to anyone except their developers ($$$).

Please read today's NY Times editorial An Endangered Act, which addresses President Bush's continued attempts to eradicate the physical health and welfare of flora and fauna in this great country, quickly and surely.


It's a wonder I still have hair left.

Endangered Species Act: Yellowstone Wolves

There are almost no words that I can say to convey the utter stupidity and audacious carelessness of our current presidential administration's policy to do away with our country's wildlife and eco-systems; it's as though we're rushing head first into ecological genocide. (But, hey, business is great.)

After successfully ridding most of the western part of this country and Yellowstone National Park of all wolves nearly a century ago, the government decided in the 1990's to transplant 66 Canadian wolves in the Park. Over those short years, the number of wolves has grown to about 1,300. They were protected by the Endangered Species Act.

While scientists say that to protect and encourage healthy genetic diversity the wolves should number over 2,000 before being de-listed. The federal government thinks otherwise, and in February took the wolves off the Endangered Species list. As a result, Park employees are allowed to kill wolves they deem a "problem," and any that step out of the park onto state land are allowed to be hunted by sportsmen and ranchers alike. Several wolves have already been killed, two as "trophies."

The following is from a New York Times article titled U.S. Ends Protections For Wolves In 3 States, which I suggest you read:

State management plans allow for wolf hunting, or outright eradication in some places — including most of Wyoming — with a target population of 150 in each of the three states.

There are over 330 million people in this country, and we want to limit the numbers of wolves to 150 in each state? I say let the ranchers lose a cow or bull once a month (the average loss) in exchange for keeping a species alive, thriving, and healthy. I also say let the hunters have less elk to eat and less trophies in exchange for keeping a species alive, thriving, and healthy. For keeping our ecosystem - and human life - intact.

A New York Times editorial says the exact words that I feel about this situation; please read When Protection Vanishes, published in today's paper.


During his 7-year tenure as President, Bush has listed less than 60 animals as Endangered Species. Both Clinton and the former President Bush each listed at least 60 animals annually.

Thanks to our selfishness, we are putting ourselves in a dangerous situation where one day our wildlife will be depleted to the point of (near) extinction - leaving us without natural resources, sport, food, and jobs. Without maintaining our natural ecosystems - and the lives of those with whom we share the earth - we'll be putting an end to our own lives.

Read the Washington Post 2004 story Endangered Species Act's Protections are Trimmed.

Consider the current federal government wildlife polices in The Dog House.

(See detroit dog's March 23 post about Yellowstone Bison.)

Update 4/12/2008:

Read the New York Times story In the West, a Fierce Battle Over Wolves. It explains the current situation between those that want to hunt and/or kill wolves and those that want wolves re-listed on the Endangered Species list. (10 wolves were killed the first week they were de-listed.) The de-listing of wolves will be contested by animal welfare/rights and environmental groups in a federal court on April 28.

Check the State of Wyoming Game and Fish web site for Wolf Information (links to Weekly Wolf Update and news releases, management plans, etc.)

Let's stop trophy hunting, and re-list the wolves for greater numbers and better genetic diversity.

Endangered Species Act: Yellowstone Bison

A short post today. Just want to post some links to a couple of stories about issues that I think are very important.

The first of these is found in today's Washington Post, and is titled Since '01, Guarding Species Is Harder and subtitled Endangered Listings Drop Under Bush. As the title infers, it's become incredibly difficult during the Bush Jr. administration to get animals listed as endangered species; policy has been set to purposefully make it difficult. Why? Well, my take on it is that it's good for business, big business. During Bush's tenure thus far, less than 60 species have been listed as endangered. In contrast, during the Clinton and elder Bush's tenures an average of 60 species were listed annually. In the meantime, Bush denied an emergency listing for a sock-eye salmon which has since become extinct, as has a pygmy rabbit that he denied habitat protection.

Today's New York Times runs the story Anger Over Culling of Yellowstone's Bison, about the hunting and slaughterhouse deaths of bison that have wandered out of Yellowstone into "the state of Montana." (Sorry, no link.) When winter snows are heavy in the mountains, the bison migrate into the valley to graze on grass in attempts to stave off starvation; it's then that they are hunted or rounded up for the slaughterhouse by Park employees. What is especially terrible about this slaughter is the increased loss of genetic diversity within the herd; often four generations of females travel together, and the culling essentially wipes out entire families.

(See detroit dog's April 5 post about the Endangered Species Act and Yellowstone Wolves.)