On June 6, Bryan Gates wrote:

> Our resident pair of Bald Eagles in Beacon Hill Park has apparently failed to
> hatch young this year. They were doing a great job of taking young rooftop
> gulls, but by no means could they keep up with the "explosion". An
> unfortunate year to have a hatching failure...they may have helped the CONI.

Question: Why are so many against letting a new balance become established?
Why not study the matter, establish the trend, and see what nature has to
dish out? Isn't that how we've got the wonderful range of species that exist
now?

Let's assume the GWGU were allowed to continue exploding, and given the
current trend towards fewer Common Nighthawks and a nesting pair of Bald
Eagles. Would it be completely absurd to consider that a balance of several
nesting Bald Eagle pairs, fewer GWGU, and more CONI would be established?

What rubs me the wrong way about many of our efforts is that in an attempt
to cater to one, or a few, species we violate one of the principles of a
healthy ecosystem - diversity (I kind of like that in humans too...).

--
Michael Patrick
University of Washington Medical Center
Department of Radiation Oncology, RC-08
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA. 98195
mike at radonc.washington.edu
(206) 548-4536