Snail Darter Back in the News

[Onomea]

...the snail darter, ... the opposition to this project was beaten in court ...

As explained in post 3 above, and the linked article, the snail darter supporters who opposed the dam won in court. They lost to the government, specifically Congress and the prez, and the dam was built.

...the spotted owl ... were supposedly on the verge of extinction at the time. Thirty years later there are enough of them that they are only considered a "threatened" species - and they have been found living in people's barns...

The spotted owl remains in decline. The threat to the species is now said to be the barred owl, a very similar species, which has spread beyond its former stomping grounds — east coast, IIRC — and into the PNW. Barred owls like the same environment, same food, etc., as the spotted owls and are better at competing for resources. In consequence, the spotted owls are dwindling in number and continuing to approach extinction.

The plan to save the spotted owl from extinction, supported by the government and environmentalists — but not without controversy — is to reduce the number of barred owls by selectively shooting them so that the spotted owl can survive.

To me, seems a little rough on the barred owl.

 

[BC38]

As explained in post 3 above, and the linked article, the snail darter supporters who opposed the dam won in court. They lost to the government, specifically Congress and the prez, and the dam was built.



The spotted owl remains in decline. The threat to the species is now said to be the barred owl, a very similar species, which has spread beyond its former stomping grounds — east coast, IIRC — and into the PNW. Barred owls like the same environment, same food, etc., as the spotted owls and are better at competing for resources. In consequence, the spotted owls are dwindling in number and continuing to approach extinction.

The plan to save the spotted owl from extinction, supported by the government and environmentalists — but not without controversy — is to reduce the number of barred owls by selectively shooting them so that the spotted owl can survive.

To me, seems a little rough on the barred owl.

I re-read the article and you're correct of course. But whether they were beaten in court or won in court, the end result was the same - it delayed the project and added costs. To "save" a species that didn't really exist.

As for the spotted owl, the point was that killing the lumber industry didn't save them and they can (and do) live places other than the old growth forests.

It is rather ironic that predation by another owl species is what is threatening them now. But that's nature for you, humans aren't the cause of every "problem" experienced by other species on this ball of dirt.

 

[Telecaster]

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