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U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

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211–220 of 243 posts

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#211
post #4

This is super depressing, it's crazy to see how much the flora/fauna have changed locally in my lifetime. It makes me wonder how much worse it actually is. Is looks like most of these were initially listed in the 80s, not too long after Endangered Species Act passed. Is there some sort of time limit before they officially declare something extinct?

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker hasn't had a confirmed sighting since 1944. Lots of these species have been long gone. But the landowner of that 1944 sighting probably couldn't turn over a rock on his property without fines and lawsuits coming at him, at least until now. ETA: If I'm remembering the stories right, either the last or one of the very last IBW sightings was doubted by officials, because the guy was a farmer…

> Lots of these species have been long gone. But the landowner of that 1944 sighting probably couldn't turn over a rock on his property without fines and lawsuits coming at him, at least until now.

Citation? Oh I see further down the chain you just made this up.

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#212

Scientists have a recording of the mating call of the last known Kauaʻi ʻōʻō that could never be answered. https://youtu.be/5THqAY3u5oY?t=44 "That's the last male of a species... singing for a female, who will never come.... he is totally alone.... and now his voice is gone." I find that to be very sad

Came for the cynical comments, stayed for the tears (个_个)

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#213

Scientists have a recording of the mating call of the last known Kauaʻi ʻōʻō that could never be answered. https://youtu.be/5THqAY3u5oY?t=44 "That's the last male of a species... singing for a female, who will never come.... he is totally alone.... and now his voice is gone." I find that to be very sad

There’s a beautiful episode of The Anthropocene Reviewed in which John Green explores this recording.

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/anthropocene-reviewed/e...

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#214
post #146
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The future is here already, it's just not evenly distributed. There are countless examples of local ecosystems that have been entirely decimated as a direct result of human activity. It's been going on for millenia. The Tigris/Euphrates river region used be a lush, fertile paradise. Thousands of years of human agriculture has turned it into what it is today. Clear-cutting of forests throughout North America, Britain,…

I'm in NZ, and we have very large (I'd wager true wilderness) forests with native trees and fauna. Even cutting native trees on your property can be pretty bad (people get convicted for this). Unless say, the tree is about to fall on your house. We have a lot of national parks, I just would like us to get some more national marine reserves considering we have a pretty large EEZ zone around the country: https://teara.…

NZ is doing some impressive things in conservation. If there is any country on earth that can clear out most pest species, then it is NZ. It would be the combination of wealth and the isolated geopgraphy if you do pull it off.

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#215

Scientists have a recording of the mating call of the last known Kauaʻi ʻōʻō that could never be answered. https://youtu.be/5THqAY3u5oY?t=44 "That's the last male of a species... singing for a female, who will never come.... he is totally alone.... and now his voice is gone." I find that to be very sad

Doubly tragic, because the ōʻōʻāʻā was the last member of the Mohoidae species family. Its extinction marks the termination of an entire family of species.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohoidae

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#216
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because Walter doesn't see any difference between Stalin's Soviet Union and election regulations.

You're never going to get money out of politics. Even in the Soviet Union. Do you really think the Soviet Union did not have endemic corruption in government? Here in Seattle, the Council created "democracy vouchers" paid by the taxpayer to give to the candidate of their choice. What it really is is the incumbents using taxpayer money to fund their campaigns. If you're not an incumbent, good luck getting any of those…

Good luck why?

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#217
I could have sworn there was something I read when I was young that way more than that goes extinct every year.

Is it really that big a problem? Extinction happens all the time, even before humans came around. It's just what happens when environments go through change.

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#218
post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The purpose of taxing tobacco is to discourage consumption. The tax is directly the mechanism for achieving the desired purpose rather than a hardship imposed on some otherwise innocent people only incidentally. It's not a taking, it's a penalty. When your neighbor builds a house next to yours, that's not a taking because it's not the government doing it. If you wanted to control what got built on a piece of property…

> because you're imposing a hardship on a specific innocent third party for a collective benefit, which is unreasonable. This sums up the American attitude to life better than anyone has ever done for me before.

I don't know if it is for Americans only but reading that makes me, once again, very nervous for the next century climate...

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#219

I could have sworn there was something I read when I was young that way more than that goes extinct every year. Is it really that big a problem? Extinction happens all the time, even before humans came around. It's just what happens when environments go through change.

Yes it is. Completely unique life forms have disappeared forever because of us. It’s absolutely not worth it.

Re: U.S. declares more than 20 species extinct after exhaustive searches

#220
post #4

This is super depressing, it's crazy to see how much the flora/fauna have changed locally in my lifetime. It makes me wonder how much worse it actually is. Is looks like most of these were initially listed in the 80s, not too long after Endangered Species Act passed. Is there some sort of time limit before they officially declare something extinct?

How come they don’t investigate WHAT is actually causing this exactly? Yes climate is changing but did it change that much since 80s? What if it’s some pesticide? or some food packaging or something

Most of it is habitat loss.

I.e. look at e.g. https://www.google.com/maps/@43.9922189,-97.664741,145755m/d... , and it's just patches of fields no matter which way you go for hundreds of miles. Areas that once was wild forrest (or praerie), and housing numerous of of species having enough space to live and reproduce.

Give it some more years, perhaps a few hundred, and e.g. this https://www.google.com/maps/@43.9922189,-97.664741,145755m/d... , will look much like the above map, with fields for hundreds of miles in all direction. With it goes the home of many, many species.

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