Letters to the Editor: The weakening of wildlife protections is ‘shortsighted and misguided’
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- Trump administration rollbacks of Endangered Species Act protections spark outrage in California, as new rules allow more destruction of critical habitats for condors, whales, owls and other imperiled wildlife.
- Critics say the weakened safeguards prioritize logging, mining and drilling profits over ecological health, redefining “harm” to wildlife in ways that ignore irreversible losses of species’ homes.
- Letter writers link habitat loss and climate change’s erratic weather to a broader crisis, urging voters in November to reject politicians undermining environmental protection and vulnerable species.
To the editor: Another newspaper article that makes me baffled, horrified and sick to my stomach over a decision by the Trump administration (“Trump slashes wildlife protections, putting endangered California animals at risk,” July 11). Now the Endangered Species Act (a law to protect endangered plants and animals) will allow for the destruction of wildlife habitats. In what world does this make sense?
Apparently, these protections got in the way of logging, mining and drilling interests and had to go. In danger are our California condors, humpback whales, spotted owls and countless (for now) others. We need to be staunch protectors of our environment so that current and future generations have a thriving and habitable world, not ravaging fools hellbent on some shortsighted and misguided goals.
Maxine Colin, Arroyo Grande
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To the editor: How does this administration find there’s no harm in species that are already endangered losing their habitat, their home? In redefining the meaning of “harm,” they show that the only metric that counts to them is how much money they can wring from a place, and that gain goes to only a few.
If most of those extremely wealthy people lost a home, they could move to another. These species can’t do that. They have already lost so much territory to people. Now climate change is causing erratic weather patterns that are pushing them to the edge of survival.
Just as there are solutions to mitigate climate change, there are solutions to help imperiled wildlife. A significant remedy is to vote out these self-centered, money-hungry politicians this November. They are not working to make our lives better. Please vote for candidates who are looking out for your — and our precious wildlife’s — best interests.
Melissa Waters, Laguna Niguel
