By Joseph Palazzolo Santa Monica
Lloyd Garver’s “Modern Times” (column) published in the Feb. 17-18 edition of the Santa Monica Daily Press is just another example of an uninformed “expert” mouthing off (“Flipping the bird at America’s symbol,” page 4).
Garver laments the possibility that the bald eagle may be removed from the Endangered Species List. His primary point can be summed up in his question: “If we stop protecting them, won’t their numbers decrease, and then we’ll just have to start protecting them in the future?"
What Mr. Garver fails to account for is the overwhelming primary cause of the eagle’s population decline in the first place, and that their removal from the Endangered Species List will not subject them to this danger. The bald eagle, along with many other bird species, suffered drastic population declines due to the effects that the chemical DDT had on their eggs. DDT has now been banned for decades and most, if not all, bird species, including the bald eagle, have made dramatic comebacks. These comebacks are due to banning of DDT, not the fact that they were listed on the Endangered Species List.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 20, 2007. Read the original PDF.