rubber dodo

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Kempthorne Wins 2007 Rubber Dodo Award : Protects Fewer Species Than Any

Interior Secretary in History

 

Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's First Year in Office a Disaster for

Endangered Species

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Biological Diversity presented Secretary of

Interior Dirk Kempthorne with the first annual Rubber Dodo Award on Friday.

 

 

 

Since his confirmation as secretary of interior on May 26, 2006, Kempthorne has

not placed a single plant or animal on the federal endangered species list. The

last listing (12 Hawaiian picture-wing flies) occurred on May 9, 2006 - 472 days

ago. The previous recordholder was James Watt, who listed no species for 376

days between 1981 and 1982.

 

 

 

Watt's refusal to list species resulted in a 1982 congressional amendment to the

Endangered Species Act, which established firm timelines for listing species and

litigation consequences for violating the deadlines. Kempthorne's refusal

prompted Ed Markey (D-MA) to introduce H.R. 3459, the " Transparent Reporting

Under ESA Listing Act, " on August 4, 2007. It would amend the Endangered Species

Act to require the secretary to explain the scientific basis of decisions to

deny Endangered Species Act protections to imperiled plants and animals.

 

 

 

" Kempthorne is eminently deserving of the first annual Rubber Dodo award, " said

Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity, which

administers the award. " His refusal to protect a single imperiled species in

more than 15 months gives him the worst record of any interior secretary in the

history of the Endangered Species Act. His policies should go the way of the

dodo as soon as possible. "

 

 

 

" Political appointees like Kempthorne come and go, but extinction is forever. No

politician has the right to destroy the future of an endangered species. "

 

 

 

2007 marks the inaugural year of the Rubber Dodo Award, which will be presented

annually by the Center for Biological Diversity to a deserving individual in

public or private service who has done the most to drive endangered species

extinct.

 

 

 

Background:

 

 

 

In 1598, Dutch sailors landing on the uninhabited island of Mauritius discovered

a flightless, three-foot tall, extraordinarily friendly bird. Its original

scientific name was Didus ineptus. (Contemporary scientists use the less

defamatory Raphus cucullatus.) To the rest of the world, it's the dodo - the

most famous extinct species on earth. Having evolved over millions of year with

no natural predators, the dodo lost the ability to fly, becoming a land-based

consumer of fruits, nuts and berries. Having never known predators, it showed no

fear of humans or the menagerie of animals accompanying them to Mauritius.

 

 

 

It trusting nature led to its rapid extinction. By 1681, the dodo was extinct,

having been hunted and out-competed by humans, dogs, cats, rats, macaques, and

pigs. Humans logged its forest cover and pigs uprooted and ate much of the

understory vegetation.

 

 

 

The origin of the name dodo is unclear. It likely came from the Dutch word

dodoor, meaning " sluggard, " the Portuguese word doudo, meaning " fool " or

" crazy, " or the Dutch word dodaars meaning " plump-arse " (that nation's name for

the little grebe).

 

 

 

The dodo's reputation as a foolish, ungainly bird derives in part from its

friendly naiveté and the very plump captives that were taken on tour across

Europe. The reputation was cemented with the 1865 publication of Lewis Carroll's

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Based on skeleton reconstructions and the

discovery of early drawings, scientists now believe that the dodo was a much

sleeker animal than commonly portrayed. The rotund European exhibitions were

accidentally produced by overfeeding captive birds.

 

 

 

A photo of the award, is available online at the Center for Biological

Diversity.

 

 

 

Contact Info:

 

 

 

Kieran Suckling

Tel: 520-275-5960