THE SALMON AND THE CASPIAN TERN
By Leonard K. Eaton
On Rice Island on the Columbia River have gathered the Caspian tern.
The Conclave has given the salmon lovers heartburn.
The
salmon is listed under the Endangered Species Act.
The tern is protected by the Migratory Bird Pact.
Ten thousand hungry terns are invading from South America and Mexico.
To gulp the young salmon in the Columbia they know exactly where to go.
In the middle of the situation is the U. S. Army Corp of Engineers.
They were preparing to land on the island with kites, balloons, and all terrain vehicles with noisy gears.
Any non-lethal method to scare the terns was okay.
But a federal judge in Seattle, acting on behalf of the Audubon Society said "nay."
Will someone please tell the bystander whom to believe?
A greater confusion it would be hard to conceive.
As for me, I am on the side of the salmon and his mate.
A grilled tern is an awful thing to contemplate.
"Judge Halts Plan to Relocate Terns."The Oregonian, 12, April 2000.
All Rights Reserved
All photographs and
text are the original property of the author and photographer and may not be
reproduced or copied in any manner without written permission.