yes
No, not really.
The Endangered Species Act is a real piece of work.
A city could be overrun with, say, gray squirrels. But if a geographically distinct habitat is short its supposedly proper proportion of squirrels, the jack-booted bureaucritters can swoop in and declare that particular population an "endangered species." Some city park, separated from other squirrel-habitat by roadways, can be the critical, crucial habitat of an endangered species! The Grant's Park Squirrel (AKA, the dirt-common "gray squirrel") can then be protected with the ESA and further development of Grant Park halted due to the critical, crucial and oh-so-important-to-the-ecology Grant's Park Squirrel. One more victory for the ESA and right-thinking people, for sure.
The distinction can be something as mundane as a river or roadway. Lots of critters on this side, but not enough (according to the jackboots) on the other. We have a new endangered species!
What I have described is what occurred with the Spotted Owl. There were puh-lenty of Spotted Owls, but relatively few north of one river. That was the pretext used to kill off industry and destroy livelihoods of icky white people in the PNW. (Were they "native" Americans, there would have at least been a decent fight, like the "indians vs whales" incident.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Spotted_Owlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strix_occidentalis Strix occidentalis caurina – Northern Spotted Owl
Strix occidentalis occidentalis – California Spotted Owl
Strix occidentalis lucida – Mexican Spotted Owl
Range of the Spotted Owl
Spotted Owl:
Northern Spotted Owl:
Could have been named "Same MF-ing Owl From Oaxaca to Vancouver." Matter of fact, perhaps we should have invited some of those owl south of the border up north here to do the work our owls wouldn't do.
