I avert my eyes when I happen on roadkill to survive in my happy world (I am not always in despair). I cannot imagine averting my eyes on a dead manatee.
Somewhere in Gimleteye's posts there is mention of charity groups not giving to environmental causes. I think that is true of rich people as well.
Rich people, I think, do not give generously to environmental causes because these causes do not increase their status in a community, like giving to a Performing Arts Center. The Carnival Center has the "Premier Level" of support where we find the names of Cejas, Braman, Arison, Miller, Codina, Trauig, Potamkin, Guerra, Podhurst, Esserman, etc. How many of these same powerful people called up Rodney Barreto and Charlie Crist to say: "Hey, Rodney/Charlie what about those 8 dead manatees in Miami?"
Read St. Pete Times article 4/15/07 Manatees' status detached from goals of recovery plan.
Reporter Craig Pittman says:
"Manatees haven't even met the flexible criteria, much less the more stringent ones. Yet last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended manatees be downgraded from endangered to threatened.
Experts on the Endangered Species Act say it's not against the law for the agency to ignore the official criteria in a species' recovery plan. But it's unusual."
And, he reported:
"Last year, speeding boaters killed 86 manatees, the second highest number in a decade."
8 comments:
All of these rich people should also call up Natacha Seijas and chew her out on her Manatee stance.
Someone wrote this as a comment on my previous Manatee column of April 9th...I am going to reprint it here:
Anonymous said...
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which you write about so clearly, approved downlisting manatees from endangered to threatened a while ago. FWC is now trying to complete a statewide "management plan" so that the downlisting may go into effect. The latest news reports of impending downlisting relate to the federal agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is recommending a similar change in status, even though their own population models suggest that the population is not stable over its range or over the long term. The Commissioners you wrote about are not directly associated with the federal action, but there is a similar underlying issue about what is really driving the policy. Both state and federal agency spokespersons insist that although status will change, protection will not. Right.
8:04 PM, April 11, 2007
Actually environmental causes get more 501c3 donations than any other political group except for religious.
This is a Miami Blog:
Don't think the Miller's have given $100,000,000 to any environmental group like they did to the U of M. Don't think Arison's Carnival gave $30,000,000 to any environmental group (what was given to Carnival PAC). I think Miami donors give to OTHER causes also because a lot of them are part of the environmental problems. For example: Miller's Lennar tries to develop on the wrong side of the UDB, first with Florida City now with Parkland. Cruise lines are often held responsible for illegal dumping (see: Judge Orders Carnival Cruise Line to Stop Illegal Dumping, http://www.baycrossings.com/archives/2003/04_May/judge_orders_carnival_cruise_line_to_stop_illegal_dumping.htm).
I was asking for a simple phone call. They can do more with their clout than their money sometimes. For instance, if Armando Codina called Natacha Seijas and said: "LAY OFF THE MANATEES" or if he said: "Stop treating the public like shit," you would see one changed, demure, woman on those fronts.' And, if they all held an intervention, saying: "No more funding honey." We would be in good shape.
Good thing that manatees are "cute" making them worth saving. They are actually imports from India and China not even native to Florida.I'm sure if they were man eaters you could purchase a hunting license from the state to get rid of them. The speed zones in effect are more to protect the wealthy owner's yachts tied to their waterfront property and keep the noise down while they soak in their hot tubs behind multi-million dollar mansions. They employed the environmentalists to execute their whims effectively.
Who cares about fat sea cows... They are gay so are all you people that pay money for them and not other people...
I kill sea cow for fun...
I eat them fat ugly things alive... The taste good!
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