Rich Horton just posted about a completely mad plan by Federal wildlife officials to spend $27 million on recovering habitat for and preventing the extinction of the ivory-billed woodpecker.
Which are, despite all the recent junk science claims, probably long since extinct.
The only "sightings" are completely uncorroborated. The first was by someone opposed to a Corps of Engineers project – that "sighting" was used to block the project in Federal court. There was another claim of a sighting – but despite many triumphant claims about that – no physical evidence, no feathers, no nests, no photographs. And an expert has debunked the video that is widely cited as "proof". Oh, there are "sightings" now and then. But there are daily sightings of UFOs, Elvis, Bigfoot and honest politicians, too.
Rich has it right. Before the Feds throw away $27 million on saving an extinct bird, they should prove such a bird exists. Or else get off their butts and save the dodo, too.
UPDATE: Tom Nelson has a really good roundup of a lot of posts about the "recovery plan" or, as I would categorize it "rathole to throw money down." (I'd never make it as a diplomat.) I've made fun of this nonsense and I have been quite snarky about it, but there is a very serious issue here.
Other – living – endangered species are going to be short-changed because funds are being diverted to a species considered extinct for about 60 years - based on absolute crap evidence. That should alarm anyone who is genuinely concerned about conservation. In many ways this whole ruckus is quite similar to the snail darter nonsense. Only some real, living, endagered species will suffer quite real harm because money is thrown away with no real evidence. Real harm over an imaginary, mistaken or outright false sighting.
Demand real proof before wasting Federal money that is needed – desperately - for other, living species.
