On May 15, 6:28 pm, Claude Hopper (11) 5. ?
<boobooililili...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Eric Gisin wrote:
> > [Another example of AGW politics at odds with science.
> > Canada does not consider polar bears threatened, however they are a
> > threat to people.
> > Populations are not in decline, and they survived past ice-free
periods
> > just fine]
>
> > Last Updated: Thursday, May 15, 2008 | 10:42 AM CT
> > CBC Newshttp://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2008/05/15/bear-reax.html
>
> > Condemnation came swiftly from Canada's North to Wednesday's decision
by
> > the U.S. government to
> > list polar bears as a threatened species, as Inuit groups and northern
> > politicians denounced the
> > bears' new status.
>
> > U.S. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne made the announcement
in
> > Wa****ngton on Wednesday,
> > saying the decision was based on findings that bears' Arctic sea ice
> > habitat has dramatically
> > melted in recent decades.
>
> > While environmental activists applauded the move, people in Nunavut
and
> > the Northwest Territories
> > say it runs contrary to observations by Inuit that polar bear
> > populations are on the rise in some
> > areas.
>
> > The decision will also effectively kill the American s****t hunt that
> > brings more than $3 million a
> > year to the Canadian Arctic.
>
> > "Obviously, we're very disappointed with the decision," Paul Irngaut,
a
> > wildlife communications
> > adviser with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., said Wednesday.
>
> > "We feel that it's going to affect a lot of the Inuit up here who rely
> > on the s****t hunt,
> > especially from the American s****t hunters."
>
> > The Nunavut land-claims organization was one of several groups -
> > including the Nunavut government,
> > Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Inuit Cir***polar Conference - that
sent
> > out statements criticizing
> > Kempthorne's decision as soon as it was announced.
>
> > By listing the polar bears as a threatened species under the U.S.
> > Endangered Species Act, all U.S.
> > federal agencies will have to ensure nothing they do would jeopardize
> > the bears' survival or their
> > sea ice habitat.
>
> > It would also ban American s****t hunters from bringing home polar bear
> > hides as trophies from hunts
> > in the Canadian North. Americans spend about $30,000 to $35,000 to
hunt
> > a bear.
>
> > Irngaut and others, like Grise Fiord resident Larry Audlaluk, said a
ban
> > would spell bad news for
> > some Nunavut communities that rely on the s****t hunt for income.
>
> > "There are many polar bears, so I think the Americans have no right
> > really to decide on an animal
> > like that," said Audlaluk, a former hunting guide in the small
Ellesmere
> > Island community.
>
> > While the U.S. government says it does not oppose a subsistence hunt,
> > Audlaluk said he's worried
> > that listing polar bears as a threatened species across the Arctic
will
> > create a negative public
> > perception of polar bear hunting in general.
>
> > Nunavut blames 'misinformed public opinion'
> > In a news release, the Nunavut government said the U.S. decision is
> > based on "misinformed public
> > opinion which disregarded sound science and Inuit traditional
knowledge."
>
> > "Our scientists in the field as well as Inuit elders have observed an
> > overall increase in the polar
> > bear population," Premier Paul Okalik said in the release.
>
> > "It is unfortunate the [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service] has decided to
> > disregard facts collected by
> > those who have the greatest contact and longest history with polar
> > bears. The truth is that polar
> > bear populations are at near record levels."
>
> > It's estimated that there are about 25,000 polar bears in the world,
> > about 15,000 of which are
> > managed or co-managed by people in Nunavut.
>
> > The closure of the U.S. market to polar bear products will have no
> > effect on polar bear hunting
> > quotas set in Nunavut, the government said in the release.
>
> > N.W.T. minister predicts 'chilling effect'
>
> > Making the polar bear a threatened species would also affect some
remote
> > Northwest Territories
> > communities, which earn about $700,000 a year from the polar bear
s****t
> > hunt.
>
> > "Clearly there's going to be an impact on especially the s****ts
hunting
> > - I would suggest a
> > chilling effect," said Michael Miltenberger, the territory's
environment
> > and natural resources
> > minister.
>
> > Miltenberger said the U.S. decision is just another example of people
> > outside the North making
> > decisions about the North.
>
> > For now, he said his government is looking for ways to allow American
> > hunters to continue bringing
> > their trophy hides home.
>
> > Polar bears have been a species "of special concern" in Canada since
> > 1991 - one step below
> > "threatened" and two steps down from "endangered."
>
> > Last month, the scientific committee that evaluates species at risk
> > recommended that the federal
> > government retain the "special concern" designation for the polar
bear,
> > saying some bear
> > populations have declining numbers while others have stable or even
> > rising numbers.
>
> > Ian Stirling, a biologist with Environment Canada, told CBC News that
> > not all polar bear
> > populations should be listed as threatened, as the U.S. decision has
done.
>
> > "I think it makes a lot more sense to consider groups of populations
> > that are being similarly
> > affected, and that are at a similar stage, then doing a 'one size fits
> > all,' but that wasn't what
> > they did," he said.
>
> > Environment Minister John Baird said the "special concern" designation
> > will stay for polar bears,
> > but added he would consider more "aggressive action" on certain bear
> > populations that are seeing
> > declining numbers.
>
> The environmentalist communist won more ground. These people need to be
> taken out.
>
> --
> Claude Hopper :)
>
I'm against the environment. Al Gore forced Bush, the Republican
Congress and Senate to pass biofuel laws in 2005 so there would be no
rice in Burma.
|
