“There will always be pigeons in books and museums, but these
are effigies and images, dead to all hardships and all delights. They know no
urge of the seasons, they feel no kiss of sun, no lash of wind and weather." ldo Leopold
Today marks the centenary of the very last
passenger pigeon, Martha, and her death at the Cincinnati Zoo.
The species went extinct due to man’s over-exploitation, and the skies remain
forever void of the billions of birds that once flew freely. This extinction
helped spark the creation of conservation laws that curtail and regulate the
type of hunting that caused their demise.
Species extinction is analogous to a machine losing pieces.
The machine can keep running for a while, even if it is missing a bolt, washer,
or other seemingly nonessential part. But if parts keep falling off, how long
can it go on functioning?
That is what is happening on earth. Small parts of our
working ecosystems are being lost. How long can all the systems that support
life continue to operate, while losing pieces? This analogy can also be used to
describe the effects when an endangered species is able to recover. If we save
all the pieces, we can make the machine work again.
Several factors have contributed to successes with
endangered species. Habitat preservation and reconstruction are essential.
Changes in human behaviors and attitudes toward these species often are
necessary for successful reintroductions. Laws now protect deer, turkey, geese,
and beaver. They cannot be harvested during their breeding seasons and limits
are set on the numbers taken during hunting and trapping seasons. Large
predators are no longer thought of as vermin.
Classroom Connections
Read “On
A Monument To A Pigeon” from Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac . He writes of the extinct
passenger pigeon. This essay conveys a sense of the importance of trying to
save endangered species. It may inspire students to write their own essays on
how they would feel if a species now endangered became extinct. Endangered
means there’s still time, extinct is forever.
- Federal Endangered Species Program (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
- Iowa Endangered and threatened plant and animal species list
- Iowa's Threatened and Endangered Species Program
- Living on the Edge : Endangered Species in Iowa
Have students research species of
wildlife extirpated from Iowa. Which ones have returned or been reintroduced?
