Endangered Species
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Re “Bipartisan Bid to Revamp Endangered Species Act Introduced in House,” Sept. 8: Every day we learn more about the delicately balanced interaction of all life forms. We can’t dismiss “little-known birds, rodents and insects” as unimportant to our own survival and health. Yet, because of human activities extinctions now occur at several thousand times the normal rate.
The Endangered Species Act, already only a slight brake on this trend, would be rendered useless by changes proposed in the bill, especially the denial of protection to habitat. The National Research Council has reported to Congress its conclusion that habitat protection is crucial to species recovery.
Charges of over-regulation have arisen because administrators of the law have been repeatedly forced into drastic “rescue” measures. The solution is to protect ecosystems before individual species are endangered. Incentives for landowners in this connection are recommended by many members of Congress. In contrast, “incentives” in this bill would pay people not to wipe out habitats of species that are already endangered.
CATHY SANCHEZ
Sierra Madre
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