ARIZONA DAILY STAR:  Thurs., Jan. 27, 2005

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Endangered Species Act is a waste

Re: the Jan. 16 letter "Help needed to save endangered species."

I say, nonsense.  The Endangered Species Act is an enormous boondoggle, costing an estimated $100 billion ever year, which has been entirely ineffective in recovering species.  Approximately 1,300 species have been listed in the past 30 years, and 15 have been de-listed, mostly because the listing was wrong to begin with.

For example, a common field mouse in Colorado has taken seven years, five lives and $100 million to get it de-listed.

The law badly needs reform. The science currently practiced is almost nonexistent. Reform must include documented population data, documented habitat data, DNA testing, recovery methods and time estimates, and just compensation for the taking of the use and value of private property.

Robert B. Hoff, Green Valley

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