FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: What if we have an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Tennessee ?

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Oops!  Missed the most important question of all:
"Would you post the Ivory-billed discovery on TN-Birds immediately, someday or 
never ?

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Wallace Coffey 
  To: TN-birds 
  Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 10:33 PM
  Subject: What if we have an Ivory-billed Woodpecker in Tennessee ?


    1.. Assume that the Ivory-billed Woodpecker is in the river  bottoms of 
West Tennessee.  Does not matter if that is possible or not.  Just make the 
assumption. 
    2.. Do we need to know if it is there or not ? 
    3.. Suppose we never discover that the bird is there.  Will the species be 
better off if we don't ? 
    4.. Assume that we discover the Ivory-billed is in West Tennessee.  
Remember, it doesn't make any difference whether it could be or couldn't.  We 
are just going to assume that we now know that it is.  Would it be "wrong" for 
wildlifers and scientist to do nothing ? 
    5.. Assume we are going to do something.  With no "scientific" modern day 
information how would we know what is the correct thing to do ? 
    6.. Assume you were driving down the road and you saw a dead Ivory-billed 
Woodpecker on the side of the road.  Assume it was hit by a vehicle.  Assume 
you had no cellphone tower signal and did not have a digital camera.  Would you 
touch it ?  Would you leave it there and go for help ?  To whom would you 
report this ?  
    7.. Assume you left it there and went for help but came back with your 
trusted source and it was gone.  Maybe an animal carried it away for food. 
Maybe someone else came along and took it for whatever reason.  
    8.. Who would you trust most to report this to ?  Cornell's Lab of 
Ornithology ?  A prominent ornithologist ?  A prominent birder  ?  A group of 
recognized birders? A federal wildlife officer ?  A state wildlife officer ?  
Local new media ?  National TV network ?  The White House ?  Home Land Defense 
? 
    9.. Should any one of those persons rope the area off like a crime scene 
and block traffic and post an around the cloce guard until the proper officials 
could arrive ? 
    10.. Should the scene be worked over with forensic wildlifers who can look 
for every possible bit of evidence ? 
    11.. Should you write complete field notes before you send or go for help ? 
 Would you be better off not having conflicting information after law 
enforcement officer took stastements ? 
    12.. Should you take a camera to the scene immediately and make whatever 
photos you can until help gets there ?  Would that be illegal ?
  Would you quit your bird club and move out of state because of the things you 
might do wrong and never be able to live down any wrong decisions ?

  Would you die and go to heaven ?

  Would the earth come to an end ?

  Let's go birding......

  Wallace Coffey
  Bristol, TN