From: "John Hartog" <>
>
> Walter Knapp wrote:
> "It might not have happened this way if the environmentalists had
> not been so eager to ruin folks who owned wetlands. The
> wetlands paid a heavy price for the arrogance of environmental
> activists."
>
> Thanks for the wake-up call, Walt: I didn't realize
> environmentalists, like me, are to blame for the devestation of
> wetlands. I've been told that denial is not a river in Egypt, but all
> this time I've gone on believing denial was a park in Alaska. I
> suppose I'll go now and cut up my environmentalist membership
> card, and hang up my nature sound recording gear. Who cares
> about the natural environment (if not for short term profit)
> anyway?
> John Hartog
I did not hang all things on environmentalists. But, in this case, for
wetlands in the US the picture is all too clear.
Landowners were harassed, stopped from using their land, often on the
basis of mapping that showed wetlands that were not wetlands and never
had been. For many of these Landowners, being farmers and so on this was
a huge economic hit. It was environmentalists who offered no compromise,
take no prisoners politics on this. If you were unfortunate enough to to
judged as owning wetlands you were to take the hit. No compensation at
all. Generally from a law that was passed after you already owned the land.
So, when the courts shot down the law being used for this, is it any
wonder that such landowners did their dead level best to make sure all
might be wetlands on their land were filled? It was their chance for
economic survival against a environmentalist gestapo. I don't blame
them, I blame those that created the fear, environmentalists.
It is a wake up call. Providing unbalanced solutions makes certain
drastic backlash. I, for one think there are ways to do all this that's
fair to everyone. If you think your membership card gives you the rights
of a storm trooper, then by all means cut it up. The environmental
movement will be better off.
I meet landowners all the time in my survey work. I see the fear they
have. They fear I'll find some endangered something and suddenly the
farm that's been in their family for generations will be ruined. That
fear is real and is realistic. That's what's got to change. If it does
not, no environmental gains will be safe.
Walt
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