“Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten.”
---The Cree People
Wildlife is declining more rapidly each day with innumerable species
already on the endangered species list and hundreds more waiting to be
put on. Although great efforts are being made by organizations and individuals
to save these endangered animals there are still many things needed to
be done. We need to install a tax on all products directly related to the
environment, backpacks, hiking gear, fishing tackle, etc., the money gathered
by this tax would fund conservation efforts around the country. With this
effort and new tax regulation we may be able to reverse the damages we
have done to the environment and to all wildlife.
Background Information
Although many things need to change pertaining to our outlook on conservation
of wildlife there are organizations out there already raising money and
dedicating their lives to save the wildlife we have left. The most popular
organization is known universal for its panda logo. The World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) is dedicated to protecting the world’s wildlife and wild lands
(World Wildlife Fund, 1). It is undoubtedly the largest privately supported
conservation organization in the world. It has one million members in the
United States alone. The World Wildlife Fund has been a leader in protecting
and supporting our nations’ ecosystem for more than 36 years. This organization
does a lot in protecting our wildlife and also does a lot of fundraising
events and peaceful protests to ensure our wildlife is safe. The World
Wildlife Fund has done many things to keep the public aware of environmental
issues and to preserve an endangered ecosystem. World Wildlife Fund’s work
has resulted, for example, in setting aside more than 450 parks and reserves,
covering an area more than four times the size of California. The establishment
of the 11 million-square-mile circumpolar Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary
to help the recovery of critically endangered species like the blue whale.
The creation of the Turtle Island Heritage Protected Area, the largest
green turtle rookery in Southeast Asia and an important nesting site for
hawksbill turtles (World Wildlife Fund, 2). Without this organization the
public would not be aware of what is really going on and the extreme danger
wildlife is in right now.
Another group that feels very strongly about saving our environment
is Greenpeace. In 1971, a small, but determined crew made its way through
the freezing waters of the North pacific to protest nuclear weapons tests
planned for Amchictka Island. This crews name was, “ Don’t Make a Wave
Committee,” who is better known now as Greenpeace (Greenpeace, 1). Greenpeace,
like the World Wildlife Fund, dedicates their lives to protecting the environment
and presently has about 3 million members’ (1).
Arizona has 31 species of native fish, 18 of these species are threatened
or endangered according to the federal Endangered Species list and five
are already extinct (Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, 1). The
majority of people living in Arizona probably don’t even know that we actually
have native fish. It is the ignorance of the American people that has lead
to the decline and the destruction of wildlife throughout the years.
Stephen Earl Cook was convicted in June 1994 of illegally importing,
transporting, and selling more than 600 Mexican red-kneed tarantulas in
violation of the Lacey Act. This act prohibits the importation of wildlife
taken, transported, and acquired in violation of international or foreign
law (Tarantula Trafficking, 14). Collecting this many species from one
area will cause a great decline in the local population and will rapidly
cause the extinction of this animal. Tarantula Venom is now being studied
in medical research linking it to possible cures for Alzheimer’s disease
and Parkinson’s disease (14). This animal could be the cure for so many
diseases that researchers have spent years trying to find and they might
all vanish because someone like Mr. Cook wants to make a profit selling
these animals on the black market.
Proposal
Right now is the perfect time to start changes in our government and our everyday lives. We are nearing the millenium and it would be great if we could start out positive and educated about the situation facing our wildlife. What is needed to save our wildlife will take time, but we can start making those efforts now.
A tax should be placed on any items pertaining to any kind of environmental activity. This would include, any necessity related to hiking, any kind of fishing accessories, and any instrument used to interact with wildlife (cameras, binoculars, etc). With a tax placed on these items, the amount of the tax to be voted on by the American people in a poll, we could start to put more money forth to preserve our wildlife. There would be a fund set up where every cent of the tax was placed in this fund. Since the majority of American people would be contributing to this fund, the American people would be allowed to vote on how the money is going to be used. Every four years the money from the fund would be used to promote and protect wildlife. The citizens of each state would have a campaign on their own ideas of how the money from the fund would be used.
The citizens from that state would vote on one issue that they feel the money should go to. That issue could pertain to their own state or to any other state or country in the world. An elected environmental official, the official elected by the people for the people, from each state would meet and discuss the 50 issues the money could be spent on. Those 50 elected officials would vote once again on the issues and the top five would be taken and placed on a ballot. The American people would go to voting centers, such as voting for the president, and vote on one of the five issues the money would be used for. Once the votes were all counted, it would be announced to where the money was going to go. This proposal would work and would be of great help to preserve our wildlife.
Although many Americans would agree with this thought some people feel that environmental groups waste money and are only here to prey on the emotions of the American people. Kevin Belt and Robert Campbell, who are both consulting Foresters in the Appalachian Forestry, don’t agree with the money already given to the protection of the environment and wildlife. “ Frankly, I believe that a number of environmental groups would be better labeled as emotion-manipulation groups or emotion-marketing groups. One of these larger groups has a $64 million dollar annual budget—of which $54 million dollars solicits the next year’s contributions—pure advertising”(The Environmental movement, 1). “Emotion-manipulation” is not something usually associated with the protection of the environment. These groups display alarming facts to notify the public of what is really going on, they try to make it as real as it can possibly be. Everything that goes to these organizations or is done to help them is the American people wanting it done. The wolf reintroduction into Arizona was expensive, but was also backed by the American people. Bruce Babbit, Interior Secretary, stated “The reason that we are releasing these two wolves is to send a message that this is public land, it is owned and appreciated by the people of the United States. Ninety percent of Americans support this (wold reintroduction) effort, I’ve got my instructions from the American people”(Associated Press, 1). Mr. Belt and Mr. Campbell need to realize that this is what the American people want and what they are voting to do they are not being misled through manipulation or any kind of emotional guilt.
Along with this new tax on merchandise affiliated with wildlife and
the environment, a fee should be added on to all fishing, boating and hunting
licenses. An extra dollar would be added on to all licenses pertaining
to fishing and hunting and that money would go directly to the wildlife
fund already set up from the new tax proposal. This extra dollar would
bring in much needed money to preserve wildlife and the land that they
live on.
The Federal Duck Stamp is similar to this proposal. The Federal Duck
Stamp was installed to protect waterfowl and migratory birds. The stamp
was to be bought by all waterfowl hunters so it could generate funds to
pay for acquiring and preserving habitat for duck, geese, and swans (Federal
Duck Stamp, 1). This campaign started in 1934, where all waterfowl hunters
had to purchase this stamp for $1.00 (Federal Duck Stamp, 1). Now
the stamp is up to about $15.00 and is still bought by the hunters and
has attracted a crowd of stamp collectors to purchase these amazing stamps.
“The Federal Duck Stamp is one of the most popular and successful conservation
programs ever initiated” (1). As of 1995 the Federal Duck Stamp has generated
$501 million, the money has been used to preserve 4,389,792.86 acres of
waterfowl habitat in the U.S. and many of the 510 refuges for waterfowl
have been paid for all or in part by Duck Stamp money (2).
“…Perhaps the greatest and most dangerous blunder being made
by modern man in the management of his wildlife resources is that of allowing
himself, through ignorance, indifference or the chicanery of his own ego,
to drift farther and farther from nature. Only in seeking out and getting
to know the secrets of nature can we learn of a world that, with all its
multitudes of living things, is infinitely greater and more everlasting
than all the works of mankind…” (Harrison, 1).
With these new taxes installed we could raise tremendous amounts of
money to preserve and nurture our wildlife. The taxes would be tolerable
and the outcomes would result in conservation efforts we could hardly fathom.
We could start to slowly reverse the destruction that we have created.
Everyone plays a role in making rules and regulation citizens need to abide
by. Start now and write, email, or call your local officials and tell them
your concerns and ask them questions. Propose new ideas and make suggestions
of what you want to see happening. Then and only then can we start to put
the wheels in motion to preserve our wildlife.
Works Cited
“Arizona’s Native Fish at Risk.” Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. 17 September 1998. http://www.sw-center.org/ (17 September 1998).
Author unknown. (1995) “Tarantula Trafficking.” Endangered Species Bulletin, 20 14.
“Babbitt Releases Gray Wolves.” Associated Press. 17 November 1998. http://www.abcnews.com/sections/science/DailyNews/wolves981117.html (24 November 1998).
“Don’t be Fooled.” Anarchy for Anybody. 3 November 1998. http://www.radio4all.org/anarchy/fakes.html (3 November 1998).
“The Environmental Movement: What Shall we do with it?” Agriculture and Natural Resource Development. 29 October 1998. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/v1i5/envrmv.htm (29 October 1998).
“Federal Duck Stamp Home Page.” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 17 November 1998. http://www.fws.gov/r9dso/ (17 November 1998).
Harrison, W. (1970). Wildlife: Riches of the Earth. New York: Julian Messner.
“Introduction.” Greenpeace. 17 September 1998. http://www.greenpeace.org/ (17 September 1998).
“What We Do.” World Wildlife Fund. 17 September 1998. http://www.worldwildlife.org/
(17 September 1998).