Oklahoma Prairie Country
~Conservation of Nature~
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Oklahoma Prairie Country~Conservation of Nature~ |
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Preservation of Species
Endangered Species Act Global Warming Conservation
Ever since I became interested in nature and conservation I have been concerned about the lack of interest of most people in preserving what has been put into our hands
to be nurtured and protected. This includes not only plants and animals, but the air we breathe and the water we drink. This disdain by many people can be illustrated by the trash,
bottles, and cans that litter the roadside. As a docent at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, I volunteer to periodically pick up the litter along the roads. In a five-mile stretch I picked
up seven large trash bags of litter. And this is on an area designated as a preserve! It is even worse on other public roads.
I never intended establishing this web site for political propaganda, but what is happening to the conservation of our natural resources by the Bush administration should alarm everyone.
Some of the initiatives being made by politicians may very well threaten the health of our children and grandchildren. The refusal to accept the scientific findings of reputable
researchers borders on the irresponsible and will have lasting detrimental effects upon the future of this planet. Seriously consider the following, which are just a very few of the
administrations actions:
It is important for the people of this great country to become aware of the actions taken by our government, whether Republication or Democratic, which may affect the natural resources in a
detrimental way.
I have found that it is hard to impress upon people the seriousness of species extinction. It is perhaps harder to explain to children. The use of illustrations or symbols can
offersome degree of enlightenment. I have had some success using the idea of a very large net. Each knot in the net represents one species. The knot (species) is directly dependent
upon other knots for strength and stability.
Let us cut out and remove one of the knots (species) and immediately the knots surrounding that position have become weakened and the dangling dependent ends of the twine can now move
about with some freedom, but in doing so can allow the attached knots to loosen.
Continue cutting knots out of the net at random and large holes develop until the integrity of the net is destroyed and there is no resemblance between the remaining fragments and the
original net.
So the destruction of only one species affects the well being, if not the very existance of many others.
The Endangered Act was signed into law in 1973 by President Nixon. There had been two previous laws, but they did not do much more than
make lists of vanishing wildlife. The 1973 law, however, made it illegal to contribute to the extinction of any species. It also protected
the habitat of listed species. It also funded the states for carrying out the assessment programs for protecting America's most
jeopardized animals and plants.
The National Wildlife Federation and 10 other conservation groups made a list of 30 species that would now be extinct or greatly diminished
if we did not have this law's protection. The following is just a few on that list.
We know that the law works. Unfortunately, the law is under assault from developers and some industrial
interests. With their financial support and active lobbyists they have found support in Congress and the White House and are
gradually whittling away at the Endangered Species Act.
(From the National Wildlife Federation, Aug/Sept 2004 eNature.com)
The Bush administration seems to refuse to admit that global warming is a reality. They feel that taking steps to reverse this process
will cost too much with respect to jobs. This is a very short-sighted view and will jeopardize future generations. Scientists already have data
to indicate the rise in ocean levels and the loss of land areas. Here in Oklahoma we have indications of global warming in the migration of species to the north. The Saturniidae Sphingicampa hubbardi
moth has normally been found across Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico. A sighting of this moth in Oklahoma by Jim Whitehead, and confirmed and documented by Rex Moore, a student
at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. A letter of confirmation was received from Dr. John Nelson, a biology professor at Oral Roberts
University. This moth is considered to be in the silk moth family. The moth has gray wings with red coloration at the bases. It feeds upon mesquite leaves and can be found also in shrub land and oak woodlands.
The warmer weather in Oklahoma caused by global warming is changing the ecological system and allowing the moth species to
move northward. This is just one more indication that global warming is indeed a reality. Similar patterns can be seen in bird populations. It has recently (March, 2005) been announced that the ice cap on Mt. Kilimanjaro has melted and disappeared for the first time in
11,000 years. Yes, I think we have reason to be very concerned!
According to the Environmental Defense organization there are significant global warming impacts since 2001. 1. 2004 was the 4th warmest year on record. The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990. 2. Europe had the hottest summer in 2003 in 500 years. More than 26,000 people died from heat related causes. 3. A piece of the Larsen B Ice Shelf the size of Rhode Island broke off from Antarctica in 2002 because of rapidly warming temperatures. We should all support and encourage solutions like the Climate Stewardship Act in Congress.
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