Bush Administration attempting to strip manatees from endangered list

[seafan]

Manatees' Status May Change





By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 9, 2007; A03

MIAMI, April 8 -- The Florida manatee, this state's imperiled environmental icon, in 2006 suffered its most dismal year on record. .....
Now, according to an internal memo, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been drafting plans under which the celebrated marine mammals would lose their protection as an endangered species.


The planned reclassification of the slow-moving sea cows from "endangered" to "threatened" is expected to elicit criticism from environmental groups that see it as part of the Bush administration's effort to poke holes into the Endangered Species Act.
The new designation would make it easier to loosen boating speed limits and restrictions on waterfront development that have been instituted to make Florida safer for the species, environmental leaders said.


"This is absolutely the wrong time to down-list manatees," said Patrick Rose, executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, and an aquatic biologist who served as the first federal manatee coordinator. "The terrible thing is, while the last year for manatees was bad, the future could be even worse."

According to the memo sent from Fish and Wildlife to the White House, the agency was going to say that the manatee "no longer meets the definition of an endangered species."

.....

"We've entered the witching hour of the Bush administration, where there are going to be frantic lame-duck attempts to do under the table what they cannot pass through Congress," said Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), an environmental group, which obtained the memo. .....
Developers and boating groups recorded a major victory last year, when Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved dropping "endangered" in favor of "threatened." All seven commissioners were appointed by then-Gov. Jeb Bush (R).

.....

[nam78_two]

1. K&R.nt

[Olney Blue]

2. Oh no.

[nosmokes]

3. #3 here

how can they even think of delisting the manatee? what a buncha assholes.

[Jcrowley]

4. Stomach droppage

Disgusting.

C'mon folks everything larger than a rat is in danger by these oil cronies.

Get in their way.

A little portrait of a Big Manatee in The Smithsonian won't get it for my children.

The Industrial Slaughterhouse is moving at breakneck speed.

Who's behind The Bush?

[seasat]

5. 3200 manatees, how is than not endangered?

This is a ignorant gimmie to the developers supported by Jebbie and * who want to be able to run large boats at full bore in channels next to their million dollar McMansions. They are gentle intelligent creatures who can't get out of the way of these boats. If the red tide doesn't kill them, the Repugs will.

This will be a test of how actually moderate our governor Charlie Crist is. He campaigned on a populist theme and has been pretty reasonable so far. If he backs this plan, it'll comfirm my concerns about him.

[BrklynLiberal]

6. If they had their way, there would be NO endangered list....

They do not give a crap if every species but themselves disappeared from
the face of the earth.
It seems to me, more and more, that the one species whose demise would benefit this planet the most, would be that of humankind.
The planet and its inhabitants would be much better off without mankind screwing it up for every other living thing.

[Diane R]

7. WHY?! How can anyone be opposed to the Manatees? He's the most contrary idiot ever to be born.

[mod mom]

8. My 9 yo wants to be a marine biologist. For as long as I can remember she has wanted to be

a marine biologist. For her b-day party, in lieu of gifts from friends, she collect $ for the Northern Right Whale (the most endangered whale, she tells me). I got the dvd Deep Blue, out of the library this weekend. It was amazing as she could tell me information and detail before the narrator.

How can we adults allow this criminal regime take away species from our children? Hasn't he done enough damage? Can't we just impeach this soul less man who was never even elected? I am sick of this phony respect we are expected to display. It's time for real leaders to take action before the damage can not be un done for future generations. We allowed this monster to be created during our watch. It's our responsibility to future generations to see what can be saved, saved.

[blues90]

9. This is disturbing !

I lived in Florida from 1976 to 1980 and in that period of time I saw alot of wildlife and what were once nice ponds and waysides turn to complete shit .

There are roadways like route 27 with canals on both sides which are full of wildlife who met their fates crossing the high speed roads , people even went out of their way to hit crossing turtles and snakes .

Many manatees meet their fate by motor boat props .

The nice ponds after a few years were turned into places where people brought picnic crap and anything that was trash or broken ended up in these ponds which became void of life within the 4 years I lived there . Grills , charcoal , lawn chairs , tires , plastic bags tin cans , you name it it could be found there .

The everglades was constantly growing and more and more boats ran the small canals into filth .

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Mojorabbit]

17. I do a lot of fishing on the indian river

and I have yet to see a manatee without prop wounds on it's back.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[IChing]

21. I lived and fished there too, by Dad was able to call them over

and rub their bellies by the power plant.
They are a gentle creature.

[nosmokes]

23. the everglades are *NOT* healthy, by any criteria. the farm runoff is a

major problem and it is choking the swamp and killing the fish, as is the industrial dumping. how can you say the glades are healthy and the fish are healthy when *every* single study done of the area in the last 40 years plus shows continued degradation to the environment and all flora and fauna there? you're pulling baseless statements outta your ass.

[Straight Shooter]

10. If only they looked and acted like fat, pasty-faced white males, they'd be okay.

All right, I'm being sarcastic.

But only to keep from crying. :(

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Straight Shooter]

13. I think a lot of females wearing burkas are endangered ...

My comment is directed at the fact that the bush administration seems only interested in its own survival and the survival of the wealthiest of its party.

Welcome to DU.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[karlrschneider]

14. That's INSANE! Why would anybody want to do that?

??????????????

:grr:

[Maraya1969]

15. WHY????????? To appease the fucking boaters?

This is sickening

[Mind_your_head]

19. K & R

They can't get away with doing this! It's purely WRONG.

[bonito]

20. Housing, if you can call it that

is big on the waterways here in fl. supplying the marina industry with $$$ go figure.

[Vidar]

22. Hatred of all life is the hallmark of what passes for Bush's philosophy.

[The Backlash Cometh]

24. Good catch, seafan.

If the environmentalist and pure community activists were ever to get together in Florida, we could do a great deal to change things around.


First, of course, we'd have to weed out the Libertarians. They're the first ones who will go running to their developer friends to tell them what the public mobs might do to harm their precious individual rights.

[Ian David]

25. But thanks to Global Warming, Manatees should be able to expand their range further north

Soon, we'll have Manatees cruising the Erie Canal!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

26. OH, THE HUGE MANATEE!!!

Jesus, somebody had to say it.

[Matamoros]

27. Japanese trawlers have been capturing manatees

Japanese fishing trawlers recently have come right up to the edge of US territorial waters in the gulf stream and broadcast manatee mating calls to lure manatees out to sea.

They have been spotted on the menu in several high priced Tokyo restaurants. They are supposed to have aphrodisiac effects and be good for a number of ills, as well as being VERY expensive.

The Japanese are also one of the few nations left who continue to hunt, kill and eat whales - for "scientific" purposes.

[Swamp Rat]

28. Damn!

Damn the entire Bushler family!

[Beaverhausen]

29. What is wrong with the Bushies?

this is f-ed up.

[Irishonly]

30. What Do We Do

This is outrageous and I don't think we can just sit by and let them destroy the manatees. I would write to the Fish and Wildlife but would it be the same as talking to a wall? Do these guys take evil pills or what???

[MsUnderstood]

31. Okay a little off topicq

But if you want to change someone's mind about the planet then have the watch PLANET EARTH from the discovery channel.

Reminds you why environmentalists are right (a beautiful miniseries that shows life in all parts of our world)--doesn't have a lot of "YOU'RE KILLING THE PLANET preaching but is so beautiful you'll want to save the world anyway.