> Has the Christian Evnironmental Council of the Evangelical
>Environmetal Network considered the damage the Endangered Species Act has
>done to private property rights in this country? People have had their
>property devalued so that they lost money. People have been denied the
>right to develop their own property. People have lost their property and
>livelihood because some protected species was on the land. People have been
>fined and imprisoned for trying to rid their land of protected pests even
>when the animals moved onto the land after the people bought it.
My response: I think society owes property owners fair compensation for the
costs incurred - something they are not getting now. However, that can be
done without sacrificing the strength of the Endagered Species Act.
I have no problem with people getting penalized for trying to rid their
land of endangered "pests." Again, fair compensation is the way to prevent
some of the current motivation for such crimes.
Charles (Chuck) F. Austerberry, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
Chair, Pre-Health Sciences Advisory Committee
Creighton University
2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178-0103
Phone: 402-280-2154 (Office) and -2321 (Lab)
Fax: 402-280-5595
Room: Rigge Science 508 (Office) and 514 (Lab)
e-mail: cfauster@creighton.edu