The Salt Creek Tiger beetle is officially endangered now. I can't say I really give a hoot. The guy in Oregon whose tax dollars will be used to try to bring back an insignificant beetle population might have a problem with it, though.
I wonder: the article notes that "about 2,470 acres of saline wetlands are in public ownership or protected by conservation easements." Why aren't there plans to do something with that land? At nearly four square miles, it's far too large a chunk of land to just sit idle. And the land contains rare saline wetlands, which are valuable in their own right. Why not turn the land into a huge park? A park featuring walking trails and educational exhibits describing saline wetlands would nicely complement Pioneers Park's role as a prairie park.
The general public will never sympathize with the plight of a mere beetle. They will not accept that 150 pathetic bugs have the power to prevent Lincoln from developing almost four square miles of valuable real estate near the Interstate. Lincolnites have, however, proven to rally behind their parks. Remember the fuss over Nine Mile Prairie? Lincolnites were up in arms over the possibility that the view from the prairie could be ruined by a couple power poles that would not have even been placed within the prairie itself. And the Friends of Wilderness Park have an impressive amount of influence over city planning decisions.
The cost to the city would be minimal relative to the size of the project. In fact, it's likely the state and feds would cover a good chunk of the cost. Start-up expenses would include parking lots, walking trails, wooden bridges over wetland/marshy areas, and educational exhibits. Much of the labor required woul
d be fairly basic, and could be completed by Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout candidates, in particular) and other community groups via efforts similar to the Adopt-A-Trail program.
That, or we can let all that land sit idle and listen to Lincolnites bitch about "that stupid beetle" for the next couple decades.
Comments
See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.
No comments yet! Be the first.
Share your thoughts with the community.
Commenting is no longer permitted on this post.