Re: Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Plan

Birdchatters,

So Daniel Rainsong is alleging ethical and financial misconduct because
biologists would not come with him to investigate his reported Ivory-bill
sighting?

I think not. However, it seems to me that there is misconduct-- and a huge
waste of taxpayers' money-- in spending $14 million on a recovery plan for a
species which is clearly extinct, at least in the USA, with no verifiable
sightings in more than half a century.

The $14 million could have been far better spent on preparing recovery
plans, or implementing them, for species still known to exist, and for which
there is some real hope of recovery. Somebody's head should roll for
allowing $14 million to be spent on an Ivory-bill recovery plan.

I thought that recovery plans were supposed to be based on demonstrable
scientific facts, not on shaky evidence, rumour, and speculation. It is
deplorable that the hype surrounding the Ivory-billed Woodpecker seems to
have warped the judgment of even some professional biologists to the point
where they seem incapable of distinguishing fact from fiction.

Just the opinion of one professional ornithologist with more than 40 years'
professional experience...


Wayne C. Weber, Ph.D.
Delta, BC
contopus@...




-----Original Message-----
From: National Birding Hotline Cooperative (Chat Line)
[mailto:BIRDCHAT@...] On Behalf Of Tim Boucher
Sent: February-10-10 12:42 PM
To: BIRDCHAT@...
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Plan

This subject is even touchier than cats (!) but not taboo, so here goes:

http://www.nature.com/news/2010/100210/full/463718a.html

Ivory-billed Woodpecker Recovery Plan

Note the mention at the end of the article, reporting that Daniel Rainsong
has "filed a formal complaint earlier this month alleging ethical and
financial misconduct, because biologists he approached would not come with
him to the Sabine region to confirm the sighting so that he could collect a
$50,000 reward."

The reporting here is somewhat lacking, though it could have been editorial
snipping that leaves us wondering --- Does this mean he filed a lawsuit? If
so, where? State court? Which state? Federal court? Which one? There is no
legal cause of action for ethical misconduct in the United States. There is
no legal cause of action for a refusal to do something you have no
obligation to do. As a former attorney, I'd be astonished and aghast to
learn that any attorney filed such an lawsuit. If not a lawsuit, then what
the heck is a "formal complaint?" Who was it filed against and in what
forum?

Ellen Paul
Bethesda MD

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