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Critical habitat for human speciesBy Trent Loos It appears that, if nothing else, 2010 will be noted as the new era for endangered species designation. I have compiled a partial list of the animal species that have been upgraded for further study--for possible placement on the endangered species list or simply to expand the critical habitat. The phrase that caught my attention was for critical habitat defined as the "physical and biological features essential to the conservation of the species." It appears to me it is extremely unfortunate the American citizen does not have someone as diligent as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service looking out for the "critical habitat" of human beings. U.S. Fish and Wildlife reports that as of Jan. 19, there are 614 U.S. animal species and 749 U.S. plant species that are considered threatened or endangered. But, if the first two weeks of 2010 are any indication of things to come, those numbers will double very soon. Let's take a look at some of the listings this year. From a Jan. 14 AP article by Jeff Barnard: "In another reversal of Bush administration Endangered Species Act policy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to more than quadruple habitat protections for the bull trout. The agency has proposed designating 23,000 miles of streams and 533,000 acres of lakes and reservoirs in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Nevada as critical habitat. The area includes nearly 1,000 miles of marine shoreline in Washington. Final action is due Sept. 30. January 14, 2009, black abalone was listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act. With that listing, federal law requires protection of critical habitat for the abalone. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider the area of critical habitat set aside in five western states for the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Jan. 19, it will set aside critical habitat for the endangered jaguar and develop a recovery plan for the elusive animal once thought to have disappeared from the United States. The agency said it will review which lands the big cats need to survive and will put together a plan by early next year to help the species recover. NOAA's Fisheries Service is seeking public comment on a proposed rule to expand critical habitat for the endangered leatherback sea turtle by designating more than 70,000 square miles in three areas in the Pacific Ocean off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington." Oh, but then I must tell you that they did deny studying the critical habitat of the manatee in Florida. Activists petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to redraw critical habitat designations for the protected manatee, but it was deemed too expensive. Maybe there are just too many of the crazy-looking animals. Check this out: The Florida government reported a record number of manatee deaths in 2009, at 429. This number is a combination of boat collisions and cold water temperatures. The great irony of this is that the new tactic in getting species listed as endangered is claiming that human-caused global warming is the reason for the possible extinction. I guess that is unless you are fish in the cooler-than-normal Florida waters. In no way, shape or form do I think that we should not care about the species of this planet, but I must admit that it seems to me we waste a lot of time and money worrying about all of the species, rather than the one specie that has the ability to care for all of the others. If you believe a large number of species are not going to go extinct as time goes on, you have watched too many Hollywood movies. Human beings need food, fiber, fuel and pharmaceuticals for their existence, and these come from the natural resources that are being tied up in the name of a southwestern willow flycatcher. I say how about we designate "critical habitat" for the conservation of the next generation of human beings as our primary priority! Or we may be the next endangered specie. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com.
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