Posted on 08/14/2006 8:06:01 AM PDT by radar101
a proposed 15-foot-tall triple barrier is built between the United States and Mexico, illegal immigrants may have to take a tip from The Odyssey to get across. That's assuming measures are taken to safeguard the crossing of the endangered peninsular ranges bighorn sheep, whose survival could be threatened by the wall.
In Washington earlier this month, a legislative rider attached to the 2007 defense appropriations bill by Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., calls for spending $2 billion to construct the 370-mile-long wall.
The bighorns, which inhabit parts of the San Bernardino National Forest and thrive on Mount San Jacinto, migrate across the border to mate with herds in Baja California. It fortifies the gene pool enhancing survival of the breed.
"If the California herds are isolated from herds in Mexico, repopulation and genetic flow in both herds will be affected," said Daniel Patterson, desert ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
"It caught many people by surprise," said Melissa Waage, legislative director for the biological center. "A lot of people are concerned about fragmentation of wildlife habitat in the area."
Attempts to reach Kyl's staff spokesmen in Washington last week were unsuccessful.
The proposed steel barrier would be "a monumental environmental disaster that will not stem illegal immigration," Patterson added. Besides the peninsular bighorn, the wall would block critical migration routes for other wildlife, including the cactus pygmy owl, Sonoran pronghorn, flat-tailed horned lizard, Mexican gray wolves and the secretive and elusive jaguar.
The U.S.-Mexican border is a political line that divides what is essentially one environmental region the occupies large areas in both nations, the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife notes in a report on border activities.
"Many activities, including illegal immigration and U.S. border enforcement have enormous impacts on the region's wildlife, landscape and economy," said Jamie Rappaport Clark, the organization's executive vice president.
"National security comes first," she added. "But proposed border construction projects, including large-scale fence building, have the potential to severely harm wildlife ...
"Lawmakers advancing immigration and border proposals can and should take into account the effect of these proposals on our nation's wildlife, parks and refuges and work to minimize any damage."
Clark said innovative designs for projects should be used to lessen their environmental impact, new legislation should consider the need to protect the region's natural heritage, and activities of the Border Patrol should include environmental safeguards.
Jane Hendron, spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said it is too early to speculate about the potential impact of a border wall on wildlife migration.
"Agencies proposing projects like this are required to consult with us to find ways to minimize and offset any impacts on wildlife," she pointed out. "If it's determined the project will affect listed species, we will look at ways to minimize these impacts."
In 1998, Fish and Wildlife listed the peninsular bighorn as an endangered species after their numbers dropped from 2,400 in 1971 to 280 in 1997.
"They are slowly recovering, and now number about 700," Patterson said. "They range from Mount San Jacinto through the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south end of the Coachella Valley. If the herd is isolated from sheep in Mexico, their recovery will become more difficult."
About 845,000 acres, extending from the San Bernardino National Forest to the Mexican border, was designated in 2001 as critical habitat for the peninsular bighorn, Patterson said.
"But with the proposed wall, their very survival is threatened," he said.
Michel Finkelstein, executive director of the biological center, said these creatures need to cross their borderland habitat and construction of the wall would crush their ability to survive.
Calling the barrier "a new Berlin Wall," he said President Reagan admonished Soviet leader Mikal Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in 1987, but now American legislators have launched a move to build a similar barrier along the Mexican border.
Said Patterson, "The only living things the wall won't stop is people. It's a moral low-point for America when the government moves to destroy nature and wall us off from a friendly neighbor."
Through the Endangered Species Act, the peninsular bighorn is recovering in numbers, he said, and "we don't want to see it set back."
What's all this got to do with Homer's Odyssey, one may ask.
One of the perils faced by Odysseus and his men returning from the Trojan War was their capture by the Cyclops, a one-eyed monster who imprisoned them in his cave.
Wanting to get home to the wife and kids, Odysseus blinded and tricked him. When the Cyclops let his sheep out to graze, his captives clung to the undersides of the woolly ovines as the sightless monster only touched their backs.
Today, Defenders of Wildlife calls for setting aside funds for environmental programs within the Border Patrol as a part of efforts toward immigration reform.
"The shared environments of the United States and Mexico require effective and coordinated cross-border management of wildlife and other natural resources," the wildlife group said in its report on border protection.
So if the way is cleared for wildlife crossings, would-be human immigrants unable to gain legal entry had better start perfecting their sheep-hanging skills.
God, what next??? Another attempted excuse to not build the fence we need so badly.
Wow. And I thought that I had heard it all.
Rust never sleeps.
I'm surprised that the Democrats havent thought through that. They could have all the sheep come in and register, then issue them passports or breeding visas which they would display for free passage to mexico, and when they have their fill of nookie, they would have free passage back. Simply show their papers at the gate.
You Tancredoites are anti ovine too. LOL
ATTENTION THIS IS NOT ABOUT ANIMALS THIS IS 100% LEGAL TRICKERY.
This is SOP for leftists. When all else fails demand environmental impact studies to kill projects or delay them so that the budget appropriation runs out.
HOWEVER, I believe the border fence was made ENVIRONMENTAL EXEMPT so this trick does not work in the courts.
Then again some judge could do this regardless of the law.
and just why should we believe this Marxist environmentalist ?
Possibly a 2nd agenda like the spotted owl.
Ex = has been
spurt = drip under pressure
Expert = Has been drip under pressure!
People like this need to be returned to the "Rubber Room" from which they escaped. Talk about MYOPIC!
Hired gun envirnmentalist who testifies FOR A FEE regarding the junk science of environmental impact.
Essentially they use junk science to kill construction projects.
They want to endager national security for a few lamb chops which should be eaten and not herd.
"including the cactus pygmy owl"
If it wants to walk across we would let it through the gate.
I can only conclude that this little fella is not a bird, otherwise
he'd be unaffected by a 15' fence,or
Patterson/Finkelsein are bald faced liars.
so I guess you might say that now "the sheep will hit the fence"
The Real ID amendment insures that environmental issues don't have to be considered for the San Diego fence or any other future fence.
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