There is a huge problem with laws, protection and conservation and our rights as citizens of the United States of America.

Then when politics gets involved it all goes to hell in a hat basket.

After decades of SEEING what your seeing, I and many other biologist have come to the conclusion that conservation on a political level is not all its cracked up to be.

For instance your right about which species should get protection and HELP. But your the one missing the point. Political conservation, is all about slight of hand. While the public is watching the state protect Racers, the animals that actually need protection, get their habitat destroyed. Then on to another "Project species" all the while other animals disappear due to habitat destruction. What ever happened to the fuzzy little seals on the ice flows, are they still being clubbed?

Of course the subject of over collection is played to the point that many of YOU believe it. Simply put, these animals survived and survive predators that make us look like fumbling idiots. Simply put, we are very poor predators, EXCEPT when we use bull dozers and tractors and chain saws.

Habitat conservation is the KEY to all species, not just one. If you allow for natural habitat, you allow for the native natural plants and animals to exist. Without that, you have no black racer.

In your case, to support Black racers, you must support what it needs to exist.

In most cases, reptiles face a time of strong support, as what is most threatened is large predators. Once these are gone or limited, smaller predators, like our snakes, will have a field day, as we somehow cannot figure out how to control rodents. The more we do, the better it is for rodents. So the species of snakes that feed on rodents will remain strong, as long as we leave some manner of area for them, like parks, fields and areas we cannot build on.

Of course the above are only a few examples of what is going on, but all in all, it does appear like protection is a way to allow animals to disappear. A diversion if you will.

For instance, species like the Mexican wolf and condor, what a joke. IF you wanted to establish real populations, all you have to do is set up breeding pens in the area of concern and then let of offspring move out from there. Same with condors, the offspring will hack out in the areas they hatch. You cannot hatch them in San Diego and turn them loose a few hundred miles away. Well you can, but what it will do is make it a very expensive project that will cost more and more and has very little chance of working. They will require our constant involvement. We should all know that most species IMPRINT on home range very early in life, in fact, within a few weeks of birth. So why do they do it the hard way????????? The government does hire the smartest of the smart, don't they? Do you think they know this and choose to take another direction? My bet is yes.

They, our government, will not hinder people for the sake of animals, after all, the government "is" BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE. Not by the ecosystem or for the ecosystem. That is, until we start dying off. Cheers

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