Protecting Endangered Species

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The Bush administration's budget request for the coming fiscal year proposes big cuts in funding for the protection of endangered species. Yet funding is already woefully inadequate for these important programs:
more than 200 species on the endangered species list are on the verge of extinction because not enough funds are available for activities to help them recover.

Please urge your senators to sign a letter being circulated by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and Lincoln Chafee, R-R.I., which opposes the cuts and pushes for increases for endangered species protection.

A strong showing of support on the Senate funding letter will also help fend off attacks on the Endangered Species Act itself. A bill that would severely weaken the law was approved by the U.S. House last year, and the Senate is now considering taking up reform of the landmark
measure. We must defend the act and the funding needed to make it work.

April 4, 2006 - 4:00pm

Please note ...

o ceallaigh Says:

Because of the way politics works, you need to respond to the Clinton/Chafee resolution simplistically. Sign the petition. Save endangered species.

Know, however, that "saving species" is pretty pointless unless habitat for those species is also saved. This habitat business is the crux of the matter, because the Republican strip miners want access to that habitat for their exploitations, and (sadly, with truth on their side) they have been able to pin the label of "eco-terrorist" on the most visible defenders of habitat, e.g. Greenpeace and the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has a petition drive directed at Chafee, which I guess is a parallel effort to the one pchan describes. A little digging and I'm sure you can find more.

Habitat is a complex issue, one that needs to be resolved with cool and (shock horror) intelligent heads. Habitat use is a major research area - and you've probably heard that most scientific research areas, not just this one, are heavily strapped for cash. The National Science Foundation is asking We the People for about $5 billion next year, of which maybe $3 billion actually gets spent on research (the rest is NSF operating expenses and support via "overhead" charges to institutions conducting research). The Iraq war is currently costing We the People about $5 billion a month just for operating expenses (no new equipment or capital investments).

Where do you think our money should be going?

Thanks for bringing this up Sarah!

April 4, 2006 - 4:17pm

well said

pchan33 Says:

very well said, thanks for the informative comment.

Dreams Matter.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/6562/pchan_stockton.html

April 4, 2006 - 4:29pm

Habitat and endangered species

o ceallaigh Says:

Anyone interested might wish to explore the case of the California condor. This bird is slowly recovering from practically no individuals anywhere, and habitat is a major factor in its recovery. I understand that a breeding pair has been spotted in northern California, the first time that's happened in living memory.

April 4, 2006 - 5:12pm

condor

pchan33 Says:

Thanks again for the info. :)

Dreams Matter.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/6562/pchan_stockton.html

April 4, 2006 - 4:16pm

oops

pchan33 Says:

Here is the link:

http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=29687

I forgot to post it in the blog, sorry!

Dreams Matter.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/6562/pchan_stockton.html