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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1987)
Editorial Our wildlife refuges should be sanctuaries National wildlife; refuges are under the gun — literally. Recreational hunting is on the rise on our nation's wildlife refuges, which is a perverse use of these prime natural habitats and gross exploitation of their inhabitants. The national wildlife refuge system has grown to en compass some 90 million acres since President Theodore Roosevelt established the first one in 1903. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service maintains these reservations, which were originally designed as sanctuaries for a host of wild plants and animals. Hut since the 1960s — and largely unknown to the general public — the federal government has been quietly opening more and more tracks of refuge land to recreational hunters. In a very real sense, these sanctuaries are becoming killing fields. The federal government and the Fish and Wildlife Ser vice now view hunting on wildlife refuges as virtually stan dard operating procedure, and there has been a disturbing increase in the number of refuges open to hunting as well as the number of wildlife refuge hunters themselves. Moreover, this hunting is not even justified by the thinning ol herds or flocks — most of it is purely for sport. ()l the nation's 435 refuges, 256 are now open to hun ting and trapping. If current trends continue, we can expect to see even more habitat sanctuaries fall prey to tin; ques tionable practice of refuge hunting. Five percent of the refuges' annual 27 million visitors come to hunt or trap. This percentage is up from recent years and more than likely will continue to rise. The sanctity of the refuges is victim to both politics and wildlife management apathy. The federal government ac quires refuge land, in part, through the sale of Duck Stamps akin to hunting licenses -— and all duck hunters are re quired by law to purchase them. Hunters of all types claim because they help finance refuges through licenses and Duck Stamp purchases, they are entitled to hunt on these wildlife sanctuaries. Hunters have increasingly used the National Rifle Association, a strong congressional lobbying group and political action committee, as a vehicle to get their demands met. Sadly, the tactic has worked. Ironically, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in many ways the refuges’ worst enemy. Frank Dunkle, director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, views animals and birds as “renewable, exploitable resources” and places recreational opportunity over wildlife preservation. Similarly. Assistant Interior Secretary for Fish and Wildlife, (I. Ray Arnett, deems our nation's refuges as superior to any found in the world and believes the Fish and Wildlife Service has done its best to keep them that way. Obviously, their best is not good enough. More than half of tin; nation's refuges fail to meet Theodore Roosevelt’s conception of "inviolate sanctuaries.” As hunters through NRA lobbying press for increased refuge access, and complacency prevails in the ranks of the Fish and Wildlife Service, sanctuary hunting will continue, slowly defiling the lew remaining spots where wildlife may tred unmolested by man’s predations. Oregon Daily Emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published Monday through Friday except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co . at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403 The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law General Staff Advertising Director Susan Thelen Production Manager Wayne Michael Lotlinville Classified Advertising Alyson Simmons Assistant to the Publisher Jean Ownbey Advertising Sales: Peter LaFleur / Sales Manager Teresa Acosta. Brent Collins, Beryl Israel. Janelle Heit mann, Laura Goldstein, Catherine lil|a, Rick Martz. Joseph Menzel, Peter Miller. Joan Wildermuth News and Editorial 686-5511 Display Advertising and Business 686 3712 Classified Advertising 686 4343 Production 686 4381 Circulation 686 5511 Editor Managing Editor News Editor Spectrum Editor Spectrum Assistant Editor Editorial Page Editors Sports Editor Photo Editor Assistant Photo Editor Graphic Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Community Politics Higher Education / Administration University Affairs Student Government Student Activities General Assignment Michelle Brence Lucinda Dillon Michael Rivers Curtis Condon Stephen Maher James Young Michael Drummond Cap! Lynn Michael Wilhelm John Giustina Lorraine Rath Michelle Brence Jolayne Houtz Shawn Wirtz Chris Norred Stan Nelson Sarah Kitchen Tonnie Dakin Dennis Fernandes Reporters: Sean Axmaker Mary Courtis, Karen Creighton. Gary Henley, Carolyn Lamberson, Scott Maben, Janet Paulson, B J Thomsen Photographers: Sherlyn Bjorkgren. ShuShing Chen Maria Corvallis. Derrel Hewitt, Bobbie Lo, Dan Wheeler Production: Michele Ross Ad Coordinator Kelly Alexandre. Elizabeth Asher, Ronwin Nicole Ashton, Virginia Baniaga. Sandra Bevans. Sara Briscoe, Shu Shing Chen, Janet Emery. Lisa Haggerty. Donna Leslie Curtis Lott. Kelli Mason, Mike McGraw, Rob Miles Angelina Muniz. Julie Paul, Ingrid White. X Kang Xie •sbssks FOR ALIVE REPORT ON THIS LATEST KIDNAPPING, VC TURN TO OUR BEIRUT CORRESPONDENT v EVENING Letters Statistics Patrick Olancey’s letter (OI)H. Jan. 14) demonstrated a need to learn some more about current demographic trends, Darwin and Christianity. Wow. too bad there's a 250-word limit. Well, I'll just encourage Patrick to read Darwin's book "The Descent of Man" and, you guessed it. the Bible. I believe what's written in the Bible con cerning our origin, but there's a lot Darwin writes regarding human society and genetics from which one could learn some things. As for demographics, the arti cle "The Birth Dearth: The Geopolitical Consequences” (Public Opinion, Jan. 1986} is quite informative. Ben Wat tenberg and Karl Zinsmeister deal with the problems that the extremely low birthrates in Western Europe and the United States will cause for our economy, social institutions and our position in tin? world (not to m e n I i o n o t h e r devestal ing consequences). And this article doesn’t even deal with population loss from AIDS Hey, Patrick, if you want other sources please check the recent demographic statistics listed by the World Bank. The industrialized nations are way below replacement birth levels. Want more? Read George Gilder's work ‘’The Sexual Revolution At Home,” or some of the Wall Street Journal's ar ticles on U.S. satisfies publish ed last September. In conclusion, if we’re so overpopulated, why are vast food surpluses the number one problem for U.S. farmers? Why is France now paying people generous bonuses for children? Why is West Germany consider ing similar proposals? And why is the Soviet block paying huge benefits to encourage large families? Michael Cross Graduate, political science, history 10 Heads The world cannot hope for peace until Reagan is out. But he can’t do otherwise, for he’s programmed by God as I am. He’s the seventh head of the beast in Rev. 17:7. The first was Eisenhower and his 10 cabinet positions (10 horns), which were later increased to 13. Jesus's first coming was the period from Feb. 7. 1972 (a let ter published in the Albany paper) to the culmination of Faster Sunday in 1977, which was a photo of me in the Salem paper as a protester on a downtown Salem street with a sign reading, “If all women stayed at home, we’d see: l. Full employment, 2. No crime, 3. Jesus.” The period of time of the heads reign is 34 years, from November of 1952 to November of 1986. or one generation. So where the Bible refers to “this generation,” that’s the present one. which will soon end. The “short space” for the seventh head means an in completed term of office. Nixon was covered in Rev. 13:3, and the beast was healed with Gerald Ford. Revelation 17:16 relates to deficit spending. But that and the rest of the Bible must be understood in the con text that all prophecy had to be kept secret until the end. Even 1 didn’t know 1 was the false prophet. And when considering words in the Bible, consider also their opposite meaning. For exam ple, the sign of my back in the picture appearing in the Salem newspaper read, “And ye shall be hated of all women for my name’s sake, Mark 13:13.’’ The Bible says “men.’’ And so believe it or not, the Bible gave us hell and will give us heavan, if you’ll hear me out. Wayne L. Johnson San Diego Comfort In response to Bert Tryba’s letter (ODE, Jan. 23), the issues he brings up seem somewhat in finite compared to the true doc trines and comfort received from the simple faith in Christ, or any other religion one chooses to believe in. More important is the ig norance, or perhaps simple pre judice that Tryba chooses to in clude in justifying the “decline” of the general state ot the United States. There comes a point in most people’s lives at which one must attempt to understand tlit* surrounding world. Some of us hide behind “facts” that are ac tually estimates of what truly happened, while others have the social stability and con fidence to believe in what we cannot "scientifically” prove. Faith is simply being sure ol what we hope for, and certain ot what we do not see (from Hebrews 11). Tryba seems to have never felt the exhilaration of knowing what he feels is right. Most of all, I feel sorry for Tryba in that he is missing a most invaluable part of life; tin1 fulfillment of one's spiritual needs. Matt W. Burlingame Biology
