The ESA; Killing a Species Near You

A note to all junior high and high school science teachers; 'question everything'. For the last couple of decades, these humble destroyers of clear thinking have been telling our children that the Endangered Species Act saves the lives of those poor little flora and fauna standing on the brink. Recent research and honest studies have shown that the act has just the opposite effect; a result of perverse incentives which punish scientists and wildlife professionals for sucess.

Let me explain. How do the scientists and wildlifers fund their research and pet programs? Grants and more grants. When a species is sucessfully recovered and delisted, grants and program budgets are effectively cut in half; and yet, these same individuals would expect us to believe they are not slaves to the normal self-preservative motives we 'lay' folk are subject to. Why do you think those in this particular community fought wolf de-listing so hard?. A species recovered enough for delisting can be managed by the full-time personel of our state fish and game and no longer requires the throng of academics and free-lancers to count every bowel movement.

There is a simple solution for specieal recovery that doesn't threaten bankruptcy or jail time for any land owner unlucky enough to find an endangered whatnot on his property. This solution quite simply provides an economic reward for any landowner or operator who finds these species and then improves their respective numbers. I know we should do it out of the inherent goodness of our heart, but warm, fuzzy feelings do not feed the children. Imagine how quickly sage grouse would recover if ranchers received a $100 for every one counted during the annual census. In a very short time, the numbers would grow to the point that you would only pay for sage grouse counted from the road. You would, of course, have to restrict ranchers to their home on the night before the count. This would prevent any of the inevitable grouse-rustling as land-owners attempt to boost their numbers.

The ESA has been an abject failure at all endeavours outside of funding university wildlife departments. We owe the wildlife an apology for allowing pot-smoking, clipboard-toting grad students to stalk them for the last three and a half decades.

The afore-mentioned solution would work for any species of plant or animal. Landowners would be scouting their property on hands and knees looking for nests or breeding sites to protect. It is hard for congress to grasp such difficult concepts, especially since sucessfully recovered species do not motive misled urbanites to fund campaigns.