Extinction vs accuracy

[Ron Gatrelle]

And Mike it is the lay publics view (right or wrong) that we should not
ignore or just chalk up to Rush L. ignorance (I listen to Rush. This post
is for those who don't). In fighting for species and environmental help one
needs all the allies one can get. Which means that one often has to work
within the box of the  other guy.
 
Here is an example. Patrick stated that after four years of Bush a whole
new generation of environmental activists would be birthed as a backlash to
his environmental policy. Don't we realize that life works both ways? Eight
years of Clinton and Gore has created a _huge_ "anti-environmental
movement" - movement!  I never heard of tree-hugger, environmental-wacko,
and similar terms till the last 8 years. A whole lot of regular people in
this country are frankly P.O'ed with environmentalists (I am an
environmentalist)! Why is this? There are many reasons, but not the least
of which is the pompous condescending attitude projected by *the
enlightened* toward all the Joe Six-packs. These guys vote too - and in
case we failed to note, they just elected BUSH. We need to proceeded wisely
in the next few years. And this involves communication in terms the people
in the other box understand. Thus, as Mike pointed out, the average guy
thinks dinosaurs are gone forever -extinct (a word for which  -they- only
have -one- definition). I wish everyone had a broad enlightened education
so they could understand the nuances of scientific terminology.
 
HEY - I just shouted. My objective is to save the Carolina Bays ( which the
US GOV. (under Clinton)) just said could be drained and tree farmed!!!!!!!!
HEY alienating Joe Six-pack and Bubba Truck-alot aint gonna help. We HAVE
TO enlist these guys with the dune buggies, dirt bikes, four wheelers, tree
farms, cattle ranches, etc etc. or it is all gonna go NOW.
 
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Gochfeld" <gochfeld at EOHSI.RUTGERS.EDU>
To: <fnkwp at aurora.alaska.edu>
Cc: <leps-l at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 8:03 AM
Subject: Re: Extinction vs accuracy
 
 
> Ken's dictionary searching was really interesting.
>
> Clearly the IUCN and some other definitions are "operational" in
attempting to
> allow terms to be used in decision making of one sort or another.  I
imagine
> that the 50 year rule might have different implications for elephants vs
> springtails.
>
> But what impressed me most about the two definitions in the ECO
dictionary is
> that NEITHER refers to the totality of "extinction is forever" which the
lay
> public ascribes to the term.
>
> I bet the author believes that dinosaurs never really went extinct
because
> there are still living descendants.
>
> Mike Gochfeld
>
> Kenelm Philip wrote:
>
> > Out of curiosity, I looked up 'extinction' and 'extirpation' in
> > 'A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics' by Lincoln,
Boxshall,
> > and Clark, 2nd edition, 1998, Cambridge U.P.--a most useful reference.
> >
> > "extinction  1: The process of elimination, as of less fit genotypes.
2:
> > The disappearance of a species or taxon from a given habitat or biota,
not
> > precluding later recolonization from elsewhere.
> >
> > extirpation  1: Surgical removal of a part; destroying totally; pulling
> > up by the roots. 2: Extermination of the population of a given species
> > from an area."
> >
> > I see little difference between 'extinction 2' and 'extirpation 2'.
> >
> >         More to the point, however, might be the following entries:
> >
> > "extinct (Ex)  In the IUCN Categories q.v. of threatened species. those
> > taxa that have not been definitely located in the wild during the past
> > 50 years.
> >
> > extinct (EX)  In the proposed IUCN Criteria q.v. for threatened
species,
> > a taxon is categorized as extinct when there is no reasonable doubt
that
> > the last individual of that taxon has died.
> >
> > extinct in the wild (EW)  In the proposed IUCN Criteria q.v. for
threatened
> > species, a taxon is categorized as extinct in the wild when it is known
to
> > survive only in cultivation, in captivity, or as naturalized
populations
> > outside the former range."
> >
> >                                                         Ken Philip
> > fnkwp at uaf.edu
> >
> >
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