After months of rhetoric and political posturing, we finally have a federal budget. The details of which I can’t say with much certainty, but the consensus is that it’s not particularly favorable to natural resources concerns. That’s not very encouraging. Actually, “not encouraging” is an understatement. It’s just plain disappointing. Our environmental needs are no less this year than last.
We rely on those funding sources to purchase lands and manage systems of lands for the mutual benefit of wildlife and people (we can’t afford to continue to see our needs as different from wildlife; clean water, clean air and biodiversity are necessary for all life). Just as importantly, governmental (fed and state) funding is a reflection of what we hold to be important as a society. The political pendulum will swing and budgets will change, sometimes for the better and for the worse at others. It’s critical that our commitment does not swing.
Unfortunately, even during the times of plenty federal and state conservation dollars will be lacking. There are not enough tax dollars to do all the things we believe need to be done. We need to continue to show our support for birds and our native ecosystems regardless of the degree to which governments fund them. We need to show that support through our voices and our actions. We demonstrate our commitment not only through our participation in the political process, but in how we spend our time and where we spend our money. The most important thing we can do might just be to spend our money locally when we go birding. Voting is important, but so is individual action. And our actions must say “birds are important.”
We can’t allow ourselves to say “it’s their responsibility.” It’s our responsibility. If they don’t do it, do we accept the loss of birds? Negative. We can’t afford to. It’s not simply government or private citizens that need to make it happen. It’s not either-or. It requires action from all directions. We need to demand action from government, but we need to make sure it happens either way.
If we lose a species, will it be sufficient to say “It wasn’t my fault”? Gone is gone.
A friend sent me this link today. It’s a newspaper article about Delaware Bay and its place within the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. At the very end of the article the subject refers to the government not being able to solve all the problems. His answer: volunteers.
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