‘Birdbrains’ Are a Flourishing Species

The Feb. 16 letter to the editor from Huntington Beach resident Carl Lans left me wondering who the birdbrains really are (“ ‘Birdbrains’ Let Water Go to Waste”).

While neither an architect nor a world traveler, I at least know that fresh water that flows into the ocean is not “lost forever.” Where does Mr. Lans think rain comes from?

In any case, the question is not water, but of priorities. Biodiversity is a key to our future. Why should we worry about letting one species go extinct when there are millions more in the world?

Some scientific estimates place the annual rate of loss at 50,000 to 1 million species by the year 2000. This would lead to the greatest biological debacle since the dinosaurs disappeared.

How long will our lives and country continue to be ruled by birdbrains who don’t understand the significance of biodiversity? Yes, Orange County needs water. It also needs population control, desalination plants, desert landscaping, low-flush toilets and a mentality that looks to the future, not just the present.

MARC RIES, Anaheim