6 Mar 04
The Honorable
Richard W. Pombo, Chairman
House Resources Committee
FAX: (202)225-5929
Senator Pombo,
My name is Rhoda
Cargill. I have just read S.
1072 and am horrified to see language concerning invasive species
versus native specie, such is found in section 1501, 1505, 1601 and
1608 of the Transportation Bill SAFETEA.
To my understanding, the subject of invasive specie has never
been debated. If
included, this language would codify invasive specie and, in its effect,
make the ESA look like a puppy.
There has
been a full blown media charge at the term invasive specie.
For a fix to be required, there needs to be a problem.
The last two years have seen a media blitz touting the term invasive
specie and its attendant fear-filled consequences.
Subsequent to this, the issue was addressed by the term noxious.
The public has been assaulted for years by a well
manipulated program intended to place fear into the hearts of the reader
over a naturally occurring phenomena.
I
am a biologist. There have always been
invasive specie; they were termed pioneer species.
They have arrived in this Country by air, land and sea.
It is a NATURAL process. Long
before man came into the picture, sea going birds brought seed, the oceans
carried all types of foreign material to our shores, a change in water
temperature allowed new specie to move into niches not previously
populated and, land animals carried seeds into “virgin” territory.
There is NO
controlling a new specie to an area. A
prime biological concept is that new specie will flourish in a transplanted
niche due to the lack of ready made predators and/or competitors.
There is not one instance that can be pointed out to show that any
previous efforts, time and money that man has thrown at eradicating a new
species has ever been successful.
Invasive specie
will be used to “take” more and leave less. It has already becoming the
battle cry of integrity-challenged environmental group biologists. It
will become the chief instrument used to remove Citizen’s from their
property and rights.
Mr. Pombo,
demand Science, not peer review.
Peer review amounts to
nothing more then consensus Science; the “stuff” that made the dark
ages; the Science that held the world is flat; the instrument used to
laugh into history a scientist that dared to think of tectonic
plates; peer review equals consensus science.
To quote another scientist, “if it’s consensus, it’s not
science. If it’s
science, it’s not consensus.”
I have been
following your work, and words are not sufficient to commend you.
I am looking for a hero; one that represents the majority of soft
spoken citizens of our Country and to be a voice that resonates with the
threads of common sense and moral integrity.
With all due
respect, I urge you to remove Invasive Species & Native Species wording from
S.1072.
Sincerely,
Rhoda Cargill
14776 Bull Lake Rd.
Troy
,
MT
,
59935
