How exactly does the Turner Endangered Species Fund work? – Richard Eppolis, Bakersfield, Calif.
Mike Phillips, of Turner Endangered Species Fund.
We typically develop ideas, either on our own or in collaboration with the federal and state governments and conservation NGOs. To date our work has routinely been carried out on property owned by Ted [Turner] or the public. We have not yet done much work on other tracts of private land. We recognize that is an area where we could grow in the future.
Do you find that most people who support the Turner Endangered Species Fund also support the federal Endangered Species Act? – Sandie Hoek, Spokane, Wash.
Most of the folks we work with support the Endangered Species Act. The activities of the Turner Endangered Species Fund do not, in any way, substitute for the ESA. Indeed, without the federal ESA, our efforts would be much more limited in scope.
So what’s it like running for office as a political layman? – Danny Ragan, Pittsburgh, Penn.
Earlier I wrote that “biology is politics.” A few years ago I concluded that “life is politics.” I’m not finding politics to be much different from the work I’ve done as a biologist and restoration ecologist for the last 20 years. I have found that the folks involved in politics are pretty normal. I don’t worry about smiling all the time, and as long as I believe what I say and remain willing to change my mind in the presence of better information, I don’t really worry about offending folks.
How do you intend to overcome the common bias against Ted Turner? – Jerry Broadbent, Bucoda, Wash.
My campaign is not about Ted Turner. My campaign is about Mike Phillips. Consequently, I do not intend to do much if people express support or frustration with Ted and his activities. That said, Ted is a great boss and a great American. While we certainly do not see eye to eye on everything, I take great pride in my work with him and the fact that he is a good pal.
As a member of the NRA, I am interested to know if hunters can expect your support on firearm issues if you are elected. – N. Livsey, Riverdale, Md.
I am a hunter. Indeed, some of my fondest childhood memories are related to quail hunting with my father and brothers in central Illinois. I support the Second Amendment, but recognize that hunters have a far more serious concern than losing the right to possess firearms. I believe that high-quality habitat and good access to it represent the greatest threat to our hunting heritage. I am ideally suited (because of my training as a biologist) and determined to work on behalf of hunters, with an emphasis on habitat restoration/management and public access.
If we elect you to office, will you work to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone buffalo and work to end Montana’s zero-tolerance policy against them? – Stephany Seay, Arlee, Mont.
I believe that we need to ensure the conservation/restoration of free-ranging bison and the protection of Montana’s ranchers by maintaining the state’s brucellosis-free status. As a biologist, I am ideally suited to contribute to a more balanced approach, which is sorely needed, since the current approach is creating needless division and an increasingly rancorous debate.
Are you suggesting that you can envision a bridge from Montana’s old resource extraction and agricultural economy to something new that will slow the loss of jobs and tax base in most of Montana? – Glee Murray, Washington, D.C.
Yes, I see a bridge to a new economy for Montana (and the nation), and I am convinced that we will have to make the transition to an eco-economy if future generations are to have reasonable chances of living lives that are peaceful, just, and worthwhile. At its core an eco-economy requires that we implement a more comprehensive accounting system so that all the costs (current and future) of production, distribution, and consumption are accounted for.
Do you have any suggestions about what kind of major I can pursue to work on renewable-energy sources or something that will help the environment? – Becky Olcott, St. Louis, Mo.
I think a degree in engineering, chemistry, or architectural design would be very useful to you.
I’d like to ask Mr. Phillips his opinion on whether the highly endangered Mexican wolf will naturally make its way to the southern Rockies, and what, if anything, he would do to enhance their migration. – Sue Sefscik, Las Cruces, N.M.
Colleagues and I published data in the journal Conservation Biology that showed that it was highly unlikely that any significant movement of wolves to Colorado would occur by northern gray wolves wandering in from Wyoming. Soon we will publish results from additional research that prompted us to reach the same conclusion for Mexican wolves wandering from the south.
While I do not doubt that on an infrequent basis a wolf might successfully make the journey, I am confident that such events will not result in the establishment of a viable population of wolves in the southern Rocky Mountains, despite the fact that highly suitable habitat is common throughout western Colorado and northern New Mexico. If one were interested in establishing a connection between northern and southern wolf populations in the Rocky Mountain west, then one should purposefully reintroduce wolves to restore a population to western Colorado and northern New Mexico.
