Today it was reported that a federal judge suspended a $320 million Arkansas irrigation project because of the discovery of an ivory-billed woodpecker. The bird was widely believed to be extinct, and its 're-discovery' was wildly celebrated in the environmental community.In his ruling, District Judge William R. Wilson stated, "When an endangered species is allegedly jeopardized (emphasis mine), the balance of hardships and public interest tips in favor of the protected species. Here there is evidence" that this particular bird might be imperiled.
Great news, right? I mean, even the staunchest pollutant-spewing, wetland-draining, tree-cutting industrialist should rejoice that Goddess Gaia has resurrected one of her precious creatures. Like, life is an interwoven tapestry and every organism needs each other to survive, right?
Sure. I might be inclined, in light of this ecological miracle, to become a believer in all things ECO (again), if not for one pesky detail: It can't be proven that anyone has actually seen the bird.
Apparently, in 2004 a kayaker claimed that he saw Woody while paddling through Big Woods in Arkansas. Word quickly spread through the tree-hugger brotherhood and rewards were offered to anyone who could provide proof that this cherished bird, which we seem to have done just fine without for over 60 years, existed. Ridiculously enough, the wackos even threw parties:
And despite all of these efforts, the only evidence that the bird actually exists is six claims of sightings and a "blurred and pixilated" video, no doubt presented by casually objective weekend bird-watching hobbyists.Such meager proof couldn't possibly derail a major federal irrigation project designed to bring water to the rural south, could it?
Apparently it can. This, my friends, is a great example of how the modern environmental movement works to stop progress in its tracks. So the next time a construction project is really twisting your titties, sneak a peek at one of these lists and call your fave environmental NGO.
And generations from now, when our descendants return to their mud huts after a hard day of hunting once-endangered woodpeckers and rats while fighting off once-endangered wolves and bears, they may recall stories about indoor plumbing and grocery stores and rue the days when their ancestors accepted this lunacy.
A Still Life with Woodpecker, indeed. But at least they'll feel good about themselves, right?
5 comments:
Fascinating story. I hadn't heard about this one. I love that they have been breaking down the video frame-by-frame and staging elaborate reconstructions of it. I have a feeling that this story is going to end with some farmer-beneficiary of the irrigation project going into the Big Woods and blowing away ol' Woody.
Funny, I actually did hear about this story over a year ago (the bird sighting, not the irrigation project). I heard an interview with the guy who spotted the bird. Seemed like a nice guy. I remember there was bitter controversy over whether it was really the extinct bird or just a close cousin. Apparently the bird watchers of the world are a very cynical and back-stabbing bunch. Strange that I paid attention to this interview or remembered it a year later since I could care less about bird watching. Joe's a bird watcher though. He votes to dump the irrigation project. Go go Woody!
LOL. 1st time visitor here, but kudos on this post. A big dose of skepticism is certainly lacking in this world today.
My favorite environmentist argument is that we need to be concerned about the species going extinct, which we never knew existed.
I believe Jill summarized the modern environmental movement well by equating it with the reasoning of a 4 year-old.
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