It's not easy saving the earth and its inhabitants.
What happens when cormorants, protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act eat salmon and steelhead protected by the Endangered Species Act?
The Oregon Zoo breeds Condor
chicks and sends them to California. "The effort to restore the
species, nearly extinct in the 1980s has cost tens of millions of
dollars."
Somebody came up with the bright idea of a multibillion-dollar Southern
California wind industry. Would you believe condors and wind turbines
don't mix?
Will wind farm owners be held criminally liable if a turbine's spinning
blades kill a condor? Condors are a federally protected bird. "Will
banks and other investors shy away from financing wind projects for fear
that the unauthorized 'incidental take'- to use the legal language of
the federal Endangered Species Act - of a cordor could prompt
interruptions in the electricity production, and thus revenues, or even
lead to the shutdown of wind farms?"
Then there's the on going story of OR-7, who's earned international fame
for his travels across Oregon, into California, and headed now to
Nevada. In 1995 it was decided to reintroduce wolves into Yellowstone
park but the wolves didn't understand the boundary system. They moved
into Idaho and now into Oregon. This has caused a lot of anger and hard
feelings among those who want to save every wolf and those who want to
kill every wolf. OR-7 separated himself from his pack in Oregon and
went looking for love in all the wrong places.
His travels continue to be of interest to the public but California and
Nevada have no interest in introducing wolves to their states.
California hasn't had wolves in 90 years and Nevada has never had
wolves. Oregon wasn't interested either but they are here now. Now
what happens? It's all tied up in the courts where it will be argued
for years to come.
As I said earlier, it's not easy saving the earth and its inhabitants.
