Bill and Forum: Speaking of weak analogies, primate hunting may not be a sufficiently large sport for the duck-hunter analogy to be of much value, but one of the most insightful ecologists I have ever known, Dick Vogl, used to lecture widely on the value of the Ducks Unlimited approach for habitat preservation--an ironic but useful route to success, especially when heavy industries with political clout tend to like filling wetlands for their oil and gas depots, etc. Few took his eco-logic seriously, many rejecting it out-of-hand.
Then there's the just-beginning-to-be-explored "transformational" concept (struggling though it may be). To illustrate, Dayton Hyde once told me that he finally figured out that probably the real reason he took up hunting ducks was to get a closer look at their incredible beauty. He told of the moment this dawned on him. Having picked up the corpse of a duck he had just shot, he was struck by the iridescent colors and beautiful form of the bird, and realized that he had just diminished that beauty (not to mention the structural and real violence used to appreciate it). He realized that the real beauty was in the live duck and its environment--earth, water, and the fire in its heart and mind, once beating and cycling much like his own. He resolved, in that moment, to work in defense of waterfowl, and that decision paid off handsomely for him, internally and financially.* A transformational moment? Hunting: a necessary or useful transition? I could tell you similar tales . . . WT * This, of course, is my version of Hyde's story; it may have suffered in the retelling, for which I apologize in advance. At 03:40 AM 8/13/2007, William Silvert wrote: >This is an interesting idea, but the analogy to bird-watching is weak. There >are only a few primates that are serously endangered, mostly the great apes, >and I think that anyone motivated by life lists would simply head for >Madagascar and count lemurs. I suspect that getting a lot of spotters into >the field would have a negative impact on the species being spotted. > >It is worth keeping in mind that one of the most successful measures in bird >conservation is the habitat preservation by Ducks Unlimited, whose motive is >to shoot ducks! > >Bill Silvert > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "WENDEE HOLTCAMP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> >Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 7:19 PM >Subject: primate watching > > > >I read something recently where someone was pondering whether we could > > create a system of primate watching, similar to birdwatching, as a way to > > channel funds into primate conservation. So instead of life lists for > > birds > > (or in addition to) they would have life lists for primates. I thought > > this > > was really interesting and was just going to try to pitch an article on > > it, > > but now I can't seem to find it anywhere - I didn't find it from a google > > search and I can't remember if I saw this in the news or a scientific > > journal TOC, or what. I am pretty sure it was a primatologist or > > biologist/ecologist making the statement. > > > > > > > > Does this ring any bells for anyone? If so please contact me offlist > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Wendee > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > Wendee Holtcamp * Freelance Writer * Photographer * Bohemian > > > > <http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com/> > > http://www.wendeeholtcamp.com > > Bohemian Adventures Blog * <http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com/> > > http://bohemianadventures.blogspot.com > > > > The Fish Wars: A Christian Evolutionist > > <http://thefishwars.blogspot.com/> > > http://thefishwars.blogspot.com > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > Online Writing Course Starts Sep 15. Sign Up Now! > > > > > > > >
