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When the needs of man clash with the needs of nature, whose interests should come first? We look at debates raging across the country, where communities are struggling to find a balance between human and environmental concerns.
First, Focus Earth looks back to earlier this year in New York, when man and nature literally collided: US Airways Flight 1549 was brought down by a flock a geese that flew into its path. The non-fatal accident- the so-called "Miracle on the Hudson," led to a nightmare for 2,000 geese that were rounded up and gassed in the months after the crash. The city and FAA say the cull was essential for ensuring air passenger city. Animal Rights groups say it was cruel and unnecessary. Beyond this high-profile case, airports across the country struggle to manage wildlife that jeopardizes airline safety. To look at the ways they try to do it, and what's at stake if they don't, Bob Woodruff talks with wildlife specialists involved in aviation safety as well as wildlife experts and animal activists.
Then, it's ranchers versus wolves in Idaho. Once shot on sight for preying on sheep and cattle, gray wolves were largely eradicated from the Northern Rockies by the 1930s. They were listed as an endangered species in 1974 and in 1995, they were reintroduced to the region. The program was such a success that the wolf population in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming is now five times the goal set for reintroduction; enough for them to be removed from the endangered list earlier this year. Now, ranchers and hunters are complaining that, once more, the animals are killing livestock and the big game they depend on. So they are taking to the trails and taking advantage of the first wolf hunting season in more than 30 years. Focus Earth goes to Idaho to see how wolf advocates are fighting to get them out of the hunter's scope and back on the endangered species list.
Then, Bob Woodruff looks at the tension heating up in California between farmers and Delta smelt. California's central valley is experiencing a crippling drought, made worse by the diversion of water to protect a 3-inch endangered fish called the Delta smelt. Farmers claim that environmental groups helped hijack precious water to prevent the fish from being sucked into water pumps. For months, water normally pumped into the area has been diverted into the ocean, devastating the area's farming economy and causing a steep rise in unemployment. Now, one of the few things growing steadily in the Central Valley is anger. But environmental groups say blaming the smelt is just a red herring. The real reason some farmers are hurting is because there has not been enough rain across the state, and that protections for the smelt and other endangered fish essential to the Delta ecosystem has nothing to do with the water shortages.
Finally, in every story about man versus nature, there is usually a conflict between people. There are those who believe we are obligated, as stewards of the land, to protect the best interests of nature. And there are others who, when their way of life becomes threatened, believe the needs of people should come first. But in Montana's prairie land—once a battle ground pitting ranchers against environmentalists —the story is changing. Ranchers and land conservationists are now working together to preserve one of the last grasslands of its kind in the world. The American prairie is bringing them together, with both sides finding common ground in the benefits that come with saving this American treasure.
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Related Posts:
Focus on Focus Earth: Grey Wolf Hunting Allowed!
Focus on Focus Earth: Air Safety Vs. Geese: An Unfair Battle
Focus on Focus Earth: The Endangered American Prairie Makes Environmentalists Out of Ranchers
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