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Well, finally a little better news coverage... Many of us were caught off-guard by the timing of the USFWS’s recent announcement (prior post), and as I already mentioned to various inquirers it was almost as if they tossed the IBWO onto their list knowing it would get them much wider news coverage than the same list without the Ivory-bill included… or perhaps there are current USFWS officials who fear the agency was losing credibility over its IBWO stance. At any rate, Cornell’s John W. Fitzpatrick is speaking out (during the comment period) to say that,
"I'm expressing my considered opinion that this announcement is absolutely premature… Yes, the bird MIGHT be extinct, but there is plenty of reason to acknowledge that it MIGHT NOT be extinct. In such a case, we lose a lot more than we gain by declaring it officially gone. Instead, we should continue to acknowledge that as an iconic representative of southeastern forests and their recovery, this bird should remain on our list of critically endangered species while we continue to seek evidence of its existence, and continue to recover the old growth forests of the southeast."
...Let's hope, in the immortal words of Mark Twain, that "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." ;)
ADDENDUM:
Oh my, even The Onion can't resist getting in on the story:
https://www.theonion.com/u-s-declares-23-species-extinct-including-ivory-bille-1847777873
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