Khachigian Has Priorities Wrong

* In his column of July 5, Kenneth Khachigian betrays an astonishing ignorance of the serious environmental problems facing the Earth. His portrayal of environmentalists as nihilistic Cassandras favoring “critters” over people is both unfair and untrue.

Khachigian criticizes the battle to save the Chinook salmon and the Delhi sands fly as much ado about nothing. But if the battle fails, these creatures will join the estimated 1,000 species driven annually to extinction. This extraordinary loss of biodiversity is a consequence of man’s ceaseless destruction and degradation of the natural world. Now, with global warming, the very capacity of the planet to support life may be threatened.

Humanity does not exist in a vacuum. It is folly to believe that we face no reckoning from our reckless treatment of the Earth.

Whether the campaign is to save an insect, a fish, a forest or the atmosphere, the collective, and ultimate, goal of these efforts is the preservation and sustenance of life--including human life. Khachigian may not believe it, but environmentalists are acting in our best interests. They are trying to save us from ourselves.

BRETT M. BARBER

Irvine

* Fortunately for those of us who value quality of life over developmental greed, Kenneth L. Khachigian represents a vocal, albeit, impotent minority tending to the stewardship of our dwindling natural resources.

Here is a man who literally sees neither the forest nor the trees. His “vision” is limited to Disneyland-style re-creations and videotape recordings of the majesty created by nature.

Where is his concern for conservation, so that huge dams and power plants costing billions of taxpayer dollars could be rendered unnecessary?

Does he understand the inherent polluting and wasteful tendencies of citizens who listen to his drivel and continue to thwart our attempts to clean up our water sources and provide healthful air for all of us? Does he have a clue that if we do not address endangered species and their ecosystems today we will be leaving future generations a legacy of a barren, colorless and unhealthy planet?

Thank God for the Sierra Club and other environmental organizations on his so-called “fringe” who monitor intrusions upon our natural resources and act as genuine, nurturing stewards of our environment. Imagine where we would be without such dedication and perseverance.

RICHARD M. SAX, M.D.

Huntington Beach

* Kenneth L. Khachigian is wrong when he writes that the Sierra Club plans to “embrace, nay worship” so-called fringe causes in protecting and restoring specific fish and insect habitats.

Our priorities include clean air and water for all life forms, not just human. Sierra Club members are parents, social workers, legislators and service club advocates who work every day to help Hispanic and Asian American high school age boys, as described in the Commonwealth Fund report Khachigian cited.

The Southern California coast is experiencing multiple species extinction. With the loss of biodiversity, the remaining species become inbred and at risk of further extinction.

Now is the time to work together to enlist humanity in a consensus on what will work best for the next millennium rather than to attack by picking apart words and taking phrases out of context. Let’s reason together rather than criticizing and prejudging. Remember, we are the only species capable of acting, through love and reason, to preserve our fellow creatures.

Of what importance is a single species? Even without biological extinction, severely depleting a species can have devastating impact. A population depressed beyond a certain point no longer fills its role as a prey, predator or competitor in the ecosystem. Severe deletion alters ecosystem function, leading to decline of other species and a reduction in the ecosystem’s ability to adapt in the face of environmental change.

BRUCE MONROE

Chair

Sierra Club California/

Ramsar Wetlands Task Force

Seal Beach