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Mathematician Peter Woit has written this take (that I largely agree with, though not in all details) following the American election:
https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=14214
Somewhat ironic that the IBWO debate, from my perspective, has also become a bit of a shambles over the last 20 years paralleling the downward spiral of American politics, democracy, and simple civility. Many say history runs in cycles… if so, we’re living in a cycle I regret witnessing. It's hard to imagine any hope left for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker…. the land/habitat it requires will be scoffed at by the new American Administration as land better suited for oil/gas drilling, or new golf courses, or just raping the timber because it’s there. Land = nothing but $$$ to this crowd (i.e., development). The whole concept of ‘wildlife refuges’ can probably be kissed away now as a libtard luxury (even while used by plenty of ‘conservatives’); and the USFWS could easily be among the many government agencies facing the chopping block if Donald has his way (…I assume many current employees are already scrambling for employment elsewhere). In the long run the loss of habitat and agencies may actually be among the least of the travesties to be committed over the next four years by whatever garbage agrees to serve the new Administration.
Meanwhile, we head into another winter, realistically the most likely (perhaps the only likely) season of the year to find and document Ivory-bills given the bareness of foliage. And while plenty of (tangential) IBWO-related articles/videos keep popping up I'm leaving them on the cutting room floor until something by way of new and credible evidence of existence is brought forth.
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