Another example of President Bush's hostility to the protection of endangered species is the rate at which endangered species are being added to the protected list.
From 1996 through 2000 approximately 50 species per year were added to the endangered list. In the first 7 months of the Bush administration just one species has been added -- and that was done by court order.
Some things are so obvious that we don't always think they're worth stating. One of the most common complaints regarding
the Endangered Species Act is, "Why should we care about some damn
darter snail or
spotted owl?"
Every plant and animal has a niche on the ecosystem. Each feeds on something and is, in turn, fed on by others. We do not know the consequences of any single organism's extinction.
The biosphere is a complicated system. With every extinction we run the risk of a cascade event or domino effect. "For want of a nail...." or perhaps darter snail.