| OCR Text |
Show APRIL 1996 One that focuses on whole ecosystems that hold entire compliments of species. One where humans may one day, again, live in cooperation, instead Saved Bald of competition with nature. This is not Eagle Endangered Species Act Needs Saving By Eric The Endangered Species Act (ESA) Vozick does light breeze blows off the frozen surface of Farmington Bay. The cold ripples through my sweater, leaving me shivering. Off to the west, the undulating slopes of the Oquirrah Mountains, their white blanket bristling in the early morning sun, Law is endangered shape That was a time when we neglected and polluted nature out of Our own misunderstanding and fear of the things we didn't know. Now, 23 years after the Endangered Species Act became law, our relationship toward the world we live in has changed drastically. Cleaner air and there are is threatened. Though there is still danger out there for the eagle, its overall status is a lot healthier today than just a few years ago. By making this de-listing, the government has acknowledged that through increased determination and effort, we as a species can improve our own relationship with nature, helping to bring back species endangered from our own negligence. threatened listed or through the and enhance nature much success in its recovery. counted 27 Bald Eagles of all ages, and am smiling without even knowing why. I look around me and see nothing but gladness at our luck, at the recovery of one of nature’s most majestic creatures. I can’t speak for anyone else on the trip, but I feel renewed, connected, a piece of the puzzle that is nature. I don’t know if we will see the day when we live in a society that wants to be one with nature, but I do know that there are a lot of good people working to see this come true. In my lifetime, I will see Bald Eagles, and I will always remember this. @ Eric Ecosystems need protection mental The time has come for us to try and implement protection across a more diverse and holistic spectrum. Vozick works as an consultant for soos Telit oolens Re-awaken those primal urges, 4 wild side of life. This Spring, don't settle Shows pride in organizations that protect the world we live in by continuously donating a portion of our profits to: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Wild Lands * Wilderness Society We hope you take a vested interest in your surroundings by making The Wasatch Mountain Times an important part of your mountain lifestyle. for nature-on-television, discover it US SI WH, NS yourself with the help of Tracy Aviary. Our field trips and expert guides will take you into the heart of the best wildlife viewing possible. From owss in our local mountains to lions on the savannahs o Africa, we have trips sure to satisfy you = WHCn wilderness, experience first-hand the call of the wild. Call now for a complete calendar of ou wild adventures for 1996, and let Tracy Wyoming Woolens 518 Historic Main * Park City, Utah & Jackson Hole Wyoming 801-645-9427 Aviary be your guide to the wild side. VIS 996-8500 LISS LISS LI WSS PAGE 8 environ- HawkWatch International and holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies. Tig = that pro- Go Wild! STIS SSSUISSUISS one 950 species imate SWS to greater recycling commune with the beasts in the The Bald Eagle and several of its kin were almost brought to an end through our indiscriminate use of the pesticide DDT in the era immediately following World War II. In just 30 years time, our nation’s symbol was near extinction with only 417 breeding pairs left in the lower 48 states. Now, some 24 years after DDT was banned from use in the US, there are over 4,000 known breeding pairs. As the eagle I am watching lifts off, I too lift with lightness at the thought that these birds have made such a quick recovery. So quick, in fact, that the US Fish and Wildlife Service has downlisted the Bald Eagle from an species over endangered Pesticides decimated eagles endangered water, grams, increasing environmental education, and improved legislation have been implemented. But problems remain. Presently, INeS emerges across the open patch of water, and then another, and another. Soon we are watching as dozens of brown wings, huge shadows thrown across the gray ice, flap and glide their way into our lives, Bald Eagles, in numbers I have never seen, swarm around the open waters of the bay, looking for food, sunning themselves in the brilliant morning light. Adults, with their splendid white heads and tails, mingle among the immatures in their various shades of brown and white, bringing a certain calm to the day, a spiritual awakening to all of us watching on the shore. As I scan the birds from my perch, I am struck by the beauty around me and the connection we humans have in our relationship with the Bald Eagle. Watching three-foot tall eagles sitting on half frozen tree limbs, I am struck silent knowing that this majestic animal was nearly brought to extinction not too long ago = a into to protect its inhabitants. Instead, Congress is currently filled with legislation that would limit the amount of species protected under the ESA, make all species of plants and animals secondary to the economic value of human industry, and help to create further divisiveness in the communities affected by the law. With so many species in jeopardy across sO many ecosystems, it is vital that the ESA becomes more inclusive, allowing better management of the humans that impact so many of these animals, fish, and plants. We have spent millions of dollars on the Bald Eagle, but only recently have we seen SYUISH ISS Slowly, from off need and 10 NSSW away ESA with over 4,000 waiting for a decision on their fate. With so many species in trouble, one would assume not the need for a weakened law, but one that more fully recognized the CHI SHUI eyes a Our ee invite the water’s edge, the sky beyond work. Today, however, there are forces that want to turn back the clock to the days when pesticides and other chemicals were commonly, and indiscriminately used. When wolves out of fear, were shot herons and egrets killed for hats, and bison slaughtered in order to wipe out Native Americans. a call to annex the wild without any humans involved. Instead, this is a more complicated call to find solutions within ourselves; to remake society in a way that allows for our coexistence with nature and the wild, not for our self-imposed separation. Standing on the shores’ of Farmington Bay this cold morning, with close to 40 near strangers, I am struck at the awe we all feel for nature’s spectacle and magic. I have |
