The National Canada Lynx Survey

Taken together these examples display a general carelessness with facts and a trigger-happy attitude toward the agencies involved that concerns me. As the citations I have provided show, a great deal of information is easily available in the public domain about this incident, the ecology and conservation of Lynx Canadensis, and the NCLS—all from peer-reviewed scientific journals and reliable moderate sources. Most of it was available when the story broke last fall and much of it is even online. Any serious attempt at responsible research should have turned this information up and corrected the errors and omissions described above. I find it odd, and disconcerting, that NCLS critics appear never to have done this in high level, and supposedly objective investigations into this matter.

I would like to draw your attention to this carelessness, and ask you to fight for reasonable alternatives. Too many people seem only to be concerned with short-term economic gains or recreational opportunities rather than long-term sustainable solutions. Yet I see no other way. To those who have little or no respect for creation, the Canada Lynx may seem like a small matter—an annoyance blocking traffic on the road to wealth, job growth or weekend fun. But large predators like it are necessary parts of the complex ecosystems where they live—ecosystems that ultimately include US. The systematic decline and loss of such creatures is a wake-up call that our activities are ecologically stressing the regions we live in ways that will have consequences and this cannot be ignored forever.

I am quite aware of the economic struggles of many rural communities. I am currently out of work and have been so for some time, another victim of the Dot-Com crash. I too, am worried about the economy and my future. But there is more to issues like this one than an economically comfortable status quo and snowmobile trails. It may sound trite to say so, but the Canada Lynx is a rare and beautiful animal. Like the boreal forests it inhabits and the ecosystems that support it, it is a gift from God. If we lose these things, and everything they symbolize, we will all be poorer. The fact of the matter is that it IS possible to create sustainable economies and ecologies and there are no valid reasons why we cannot live and play alongside these marvelous creatures if we choose. But this will not be possible until we set aside the sort of hysteria, protectionism, and scholarly sloppiness documented above.

It cannot be emphasized enough that there is NO substitute for the scientific peer-review process. True scientific knowledge is always reached inductively rather than deductively. That is, by working with the full body of available evidence, struggling with questions, carefully weighing conflicting evidence in search of the best balance. This kind of science is quick to acknowledge uncertainties and areas where more research is needed. It always states its conclusions with a certain humble tentativeness that is characteristic of objectivity, and steadfastly resists all temptation to reach quick, emotionally charged easy answers to complex mysteries before a robust knowledge base can be built. This path is long, arduous, and often tentative when we would rather have decisive answers. But is the ONLY way to reach trustworthy conclusions that will stand the test of time.

Many today are interested only in protectionism and short-term gain and have little or no interest in proper research. It is up to us to protect our priceless national treasures from them. Lynx Canadensis cannot survive with less. Ultimately, neither will we. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to read this.

Sincerely,

Scott Church

Footnotes

1)    The Unification Church believes that a second messiah will soon appear on Earth. This messiah (whom they refer to as the "Lord of the Second Advent") will complete the salvation of the human race (something they believe Jesus of Nazareth began, but failed to complete by not procreating) and will rule over a worldwide theocratic government. Though Moon has never publicly said so, he has been setting himself up for this role and is widely believed to be this messiah by his followers. Former church members consistently report that high-level church economic and political activities have been directed toward preparing for this "second advent" for years. The UC has a long history of various high-level subversive activities conducted through a worldwide network of front groups and businesses (of which they own literally thousands valued at many billions of dollars). The church's media holdings, such as the Washington Times and the UPI newswire, frequently promote views consistent with their larger objectives. Since many of their business holdings are in polluting and extraction industries that provide a large percentage of the church's revenue stream, the church stands to be penalized by environmental conservation policies. Hence, they view these policies as contrary to the establishment of their coming spiritual kingdom. For more information, see the Unification Church's web site and the Frazier Committee report to the U.S. House of Representatives on Koreagate. Both are cited above.