Cyndi's Two Cents

Endangered species

Commentary.  The Endangered Species Act will turn 40 years old in December. I learned during a couple of PBS documentaries aired recently, about a few species on our planet that have been rescued because of this legislation officially enacted in 1973. I’m glad to see the peregrine falcon and the small key deer that live in south Florida have not vanished from the face of the earth.

For the most part, I believe we all, at some level, appreciate the birds and the wildlife that share this planet with us. But like many of you, I cringe when I hear the horror stories of farmers in California fighting to keep their land because of the presence of an endangered mouse or salamander. Talk to anyone with farm land along the Missouri River and you’ll learn they feel less important to the U.S. Government than the pallid sturgeon, least tern and piping plover. Mention black prairie dog to cattlemen in Nebraska and you will learn what a nuisance these animals have become to those involved in livestock production. Mention spotted owl to those involved in the timber industry in the Pacific Northwest, and they will tell you those owls have plenty of habitats. Wolves in Yellowstone? Ask the shepherds and ranchers running livestock nearby how many lambs and calves they’ve lost to this endangered species.

Many years ago, when Clayton Yeutter was Secretary of Agriculture, I was interviewing him about what seemed at the time to be a very important agricultural issue. More than 2 decades have since passed, and the “critical issue” has long since been forgotten, but a comment he made stays with me to this day. The former secretary said “Cyndi, this issue is of great importance to all of us involved in agriculture, but it is a cup of tea compared to the plight of the spotted owl. Our issue will long be forgotten and the spotted owl will long be remembered in America’s history.”

I believe that most farmers are good stewards of the land. That means that you will leave the land in good condition when you go, and you do not set out to destroy the wildlife. Many of you have incorporated some sort of wildlife conservation plan on your farm or ranch. Perhaps it was more appealing because of the government payment that comes with it.

This is a topic that causes me great concern and consideration.

I like having plentiful game on my land so that we might enjoy turkey, quail, deer and rabbit hunting, and we have worked to provide food and cover for those birds that are currently few in number. We must remember though, in nature, when there is plentiful game, it will be hunted. We are not the only hunters here. It might be coyotes. It might be bobcat. It could even be mountain lions (which we are told are not present, yet we continue to hear of confirmed sightings not far away.) Many of the predators following the game we so desire will also take down a calf or a lamb.

Let us learn from our fellow farmers and ranchers in other areas of the United States of America. Maintain a dialogue with the conservation “community” and lawmakers at the local, state and national level. Show them what you are doing on your farm to be “wildlife-friendly” and if you are dissatisfied with their actions, vote them out of office.