Bismarck Tribune - North Dakota News - Environmentalists cross the line

Environmentalists cross the line

Sep 05, 2007 - 04:04:21 CDT

By BILL MELECH
Bismarck

I firmly believe I now have a perfect example of the whacko environmentalists crossing the line, their common sense being lost.

A Jan. 8, 2005, article in the Argus newspaper of Fremont, Calif., concerned Ohlone College wanting to expand its campus on land it already owned. The title of the article was "Ohlone to spend nest egg on homes for owls." Seven burrowing owls had made a home on the land where the college was to build.

With their population declining, the owls are considered a "species of special concern" by the California Department of Fish and Game, meaning Ohlone is responsible for finding the owls a new home, and not just any home will do.

State regulations call for providing 6½ acres of land for each owl or mated pair of owls. Think of it as a circle with a radius the length of a football field. Because two pair of owls have become mates, the college is on the hook for five owls, or 32½ acres of suitable habitat. The new habitat has to be within 40 miles of where they were found, and they prefer flat grassy areas where they can find plenty of holes in which to burrow.

The situation could get even worse, should the burrowing owl become classified as an endangered species. Any new regulations could tie up development for years.

Complicating matters even further, the owls' mating season begins Feb. 1 of each year. If they are not gone by then, they can't be moved until after the summer, which was to delay the center's groundbreaking, set for April.

Based on a tight time frame, the school entered into an agreement with Wildlands Inc., a company that maintains suitable habitats for owls and other threatened animals.

I called Ohlone College and talked to Sarah, the secretary to the college president, and she verified what was written above. On Jan. 18, 2005, the board of trustees met and decided to pay $390,000 to Wildlands Inc. out of the contingency fund.

The good news is the new campus will open next month.

I was especially interested in this because I lived just two miles from Ohlone for 44 years.

News > Opinion

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Comments

Calm Down Now wrote on Sep 5, 2007 11:33 PM:

" Hummm, we have a choice between taking good care of our beautiful planet or letting the highest bidder destroy it. Seems that some are so worked up into a tizzie of anger at what they call wacko environmentalists that they've lost sight of reason. We do have a lot to do with the future of our planet. It is our choice. "

environmentalsAREwack wrote on Sep 5, 2007 9:58 PM:

" The point is "environmentalist orgainizations" can be boughten off. Come on..$390,000 dollars could have fed a lot of starving children...HUMAN children. I say the wacko environmentalists, with all the money they get for holding humans hostage with their wacko extorion tactics...could have easily found, and paid for their own land for these few owls. Or better yet, put the owls in a zoo...they will probably multiply and flourish better there than in their natural environment. "

Joe wrote on Sep 5, 2007 5:06 PM:

" The first line of the letter said it all. The writer was so excited to have found the "perfect example of the whacko environmentalists crossing the line..." He found something that happened in 2005. Some people are so crazed with pushing their own slant. I guess each of us finds happiness in different ways. I didn't know bashing environmentalists would bring such joy. "

rettev wrote on Sep 5, 2007 4:28 PM:

" Go hug a tree..... you people are crazy..... "

Well... wrote on Sep 5, 2007 12:40 PM:

" Since "people" are evidently not as valuable as animals these days we'd better stop using the phrase, "Animals are people too." So what can we say to illustrate the importance of people too? How about, "People are animals too." "

MamaMia wrote on Sep 5, 2007 12:24 PM:

" I just love chthonic creatures! "

MamaMia wrote on Sep 5, 2007 12:18 PM:

" Bill, whooooo, whoooooo are you to dis these poor owls? :) "

environmentalist and proud of it! wrote on Sep 5, 2007 11:17 AM:

" I’m an out of control environmentalist. I’m completely for the owls, and sparrows, robins, eagles, whooping cranes, prairie dogs, squirrels, frogs, cats, dogs, and bees. I’m also for mountain lions and am revolted every time someone kills one to bolster his or her ego and then brag about it in the local bar. "

Non Whacko wrote on Sep 5, 2007 9:11 AM:

" D - I believe that the point Bill was trying to make in this letter is that not all environmental activists are active environmentalists. There's a huge difference. Some of these "environmentalists" have ruined millions of acres of wildlife habitat by developing these areas, and overpopulation has created problems with waste management, etc... They are part of the problem. Hypocrites. "

Beesh wrote on Sep 5, 2007 8:37 AM:

" So if these burroughing owls were living next to a river and the water level rose to the point it covered the owls borroughs, who would God make the check out to? I lived around these animals while growing up on the farm. When OUR fields were retilled for seeding and it 'disrupted' the owls borrough (they don't dig their own, they use abandoned burroughs), guess what, they moved to another area and used another empty gopher den. I really don't see what the big deal is. Why can a personal property owner be forced off his land by eminent domain, but a BIRD gets 6 1/2 acres? "

Ya Bill... wrote on Sep 5, 2007 8:25 AM:

" lets not save anything for our children and grandchildren. Lets screw up our planet so badly it will be unrecognizable for them and without wildlife. Just so you know, we have burrowing owls in North Dakota too and yes, they are protected. Geez, we have saved the bald eagle, the wolf and many others, why shouldn't we save the burrowing owl. Before all you bloggers get on my case, I am a female, gun owning hunter who also believes in CONSERVATION. For those of you who don't...sue me. "

BabyT wrote on Sep 5, 2007 8:18 AM:

" Exactly what environmental wacko are you referring to? First of all, keep in mind they are just following an existing law in place, created (or at least upheld) by the Democratic legislature and endorsed by the Republican Governator. Modern government involves red tape. Sometimes you end up taking on the government when the red tape roll is full, sometimes nearly empty. The college just happened to end up picking a full roll of red tape. Don't blame the 'environmental wackos', that line is almost worn out by now I think. "

Facts wrote on Sep 5, 2007 8:14 AM:

" The animals were here on this earth way before people. We need to learn beside all the animals since we are the ones that have moved into their territory. As humans we need to get our heads out of the sand and protect the creatures that God has given to us. Protect the animals - we need them in our lives. "

Enviromentalist wrote on Sep 5, 2007 7:49 AM:

" I'm an enviromentalist. But I'm not "wacko" as this writer would have you believe all enviromentalists are. I could just as easy label the writer of this letter, Bill Melech, as "wacko" because he used to live near Ohlone College for 44 years. Even though I consider myself an enviromentalist, my initial thought when I read this was that the college should have saved the $390,000; and instead found a college frat house to assist in an evening re-deployment of the owls. Or would that too have been too "wacko" for you Bill? "

Deb wrote on Sep 5, 2007 6:42 AM:

" Soooo, what's your point? That the college did what's right by the environment around them? Did they mysterious "Sarah" tell you what percent of their yearly operatin budget was this $390,000? My guess, less than 1%. "

D wrote on Sep 5, 2007 6:01 AM:

" I'm not sure wacko and environmentalist belong together. An environmentalist is someone who cares about the environment. The last time I checked, our survival as a species was dependent on the health of the environment. When it comes down to it, you'd have to be a wacko NOT to be an environmentalist. Who in their right mind would not want to take care of the very thing (environment) sustaining us. "

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