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The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Letters to the Editor Sage Grouse I just realized that Ive read every article in the Summer 2000 issue. Thank you for an amazing collection of articles and pictures. One in particular motivates me to write. Elizabeth Grossman's fine article on the sage grouse describes an alarming situation. Sage grouse habitat is being eradicated; numbers have declined 45 to 80 percent since 1985; the remaining California population is estimated at 4,000 to 8,000. Yet, in the next-to-last paragraph, we learn that hunters are still allowed to kill them for sport. How can this be? Ill always remember my first (of only two) sage grouse sighting—in July 1996, on the Sierra flank southwest of Mono Lake. On my way back down the slope, I stopped at the creek crossing where Id seen quail. Theyd vanished, but out in the meadow a grouse was standing stock-still. I studied it through binoculars for a good five minutes, memorizing all its field marks before checking my field guide. I pulled out the book, and—Whoosh! A second grouse burst up from the grass at my feet. I jumped nearly as high as the grouse! It had been there all along, perfectly camouflaged, less than six feet away. A friend in Mammoth Lakes has told me of a nearby sage grouse lek, but Ive never managed to be there at the right time of year. Now I feel a greater sense of urgency to see the sage grouses courtship display while it still takes place—and to add my voice to the effort to give the birds Endangered Species protection. Kristi Hein Rich Land, Poor Land I was rather surprised by the cultural chauvinism purveyed in Jerold Lowensteins article “Rich Land, Poor Land” in your Summer 2000 issue. I dont believe that measuring success strictly in economic terms bodes well for our collective future, nor does it take into account the value that subsistence cultures may have for the long-term survival of our planet. While I am personally gratified that my income is “400 times that of an average inhabitant of Mozambique,” and that I am expected to live twice as long as others “less fortunate,” this view gives very short shrift to the success of the inhabitants of, say, Indias Narmada Valley, who have a record of continuous civilization reaching back 30,000 years. (A record that is now being inundated by the floods of “progress” as power-generating dams displace their ancient homelands.) Though I am faced with the opportunity—or threat—of economic prosperity, I am not alone in questioning the advisability of bringing my children into a world that may be uninhabitable in 30 years. In light of this, “private property rights,” “impartial enforcement” of contracts, and unlimited accumulation of wealth lose a bit of their luster. I am not proposing that we switch our economic culture into a subsistence culture, but evaluating all other world cultures on a success model based on individual attainment does the whole planet a disservice. Michael Stocker Bears vs. Tourists I just finished reading your informative article on bears in Yosemite. I found myself wishing when I got to the end of the article that there was another article telling the best ways to store food so that bears would not smell it, especially in cars. Is there a method of stashing things in car trunks so that bears dont smell them and thus try to pry them open? Linda Oliver Response from Tori Seher, Wildlife Technician, Yosemite National Park: Experience has shown that the only safe way to store food in the park is to put it into the bearproof storage units. While bears do smell food, they also use visual recognition cues, and they learn very quickly. Weve seen bears stand up to look into cars, and they certainly know what thermos flasks, cooler boxes and carrier bags are for. In the past we advised people to cover such items with a blanket, but the bears soon learned that food lay underneath. Once a bear has found food in the trunk of a car, it may well make a habit of breaking in on the chance of repeating its previously lucky strike. |
Fall 2000
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