Importance of the Endangered Species Act acknowledged by UDWR:
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) has been devoting itself to delisting plant (and animal) species formally listed under the very important Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) and has not ever to my knowledge ever supported new listings. Quite the reverse.
Yet in a news report piece published on December 27, 2023 with respect to the 50th anniversary of the ESA, a UDWR representative acknowledges that the Act has "has prevented the extinction of hundreds of [imperiled] species" and that it has also helped "promote the recovery of many species that were near extinction."
This is a great but is also a rather shocking acknowledgment by an agency that has done nothing but pushback against and complain about the ESA, and that has embarked on an ambitious statewide program of introducing non-native mountain goats that are negatively impacting high-elevation ecosystems, and an agency that has traditionally opposed the protection of wolves despite the science that indicates the very important role they play.
The piece goes on to mention the 17 wildlife species currently listed under the ESA that occur in Utah. Yet there is no mention of the currently 25 listed plant species that also occur in Utah. The importance of plant species in general is never given the attention that they deserve. We would not exist without them, nor would any wildlife. Healthy and diverse ecosystems rely on healthy native plant populations.
Related stories re: the 50th anniversary of the ESA:
https://www.upr.org/2023-12-24/the-endangered-species-act-turns-50
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/earthonline/endangered-earth-online-no1225.html
(this last reference discusses the plight of plants that are typically short-changed)
UDWR and urban deer:
As a curiosity completely unrelated to the above, the same UDWR representative on the same date and in another news report indicates that the UDWR has "authorized" city police to "cull" urban deer. So much for the sanctity of wildlife. We are living in their habitat, not the other way around. If they are bothering someone's flower garden (but in winter, they are just looking for something to browse, mainly grass) that really doesn't justify killing them. That they can cause accidents is true but normally that is because drivers tend to drive too fast and don't pay attention. Somehow we do have to find a way to live with the natural world and not do what we do best (i.e. kill anything that moves, and destroy natural open spaces). That we have failed to give them corridors to areas where they should be able to freely roam in an attempt to survive is our fault, not theirs. There is also considerable concern about the risk of someone being shot with a bullet or an arrow while attempts are made to cull herds. Police officers are not trained wildlife hunters or trappers. City police should not take on this responsibility that UDWR has "authorized" (which likely also exceeds UDWR's authority).
