Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories 10 things to know for Thursday Mayors unite to kick off annual ACCESS food campaign East meets west in one-man show 10 things to know for Wednesday Control burn planned Thursday Education Grade-school philanthropist Ashland, Scenic win Brain Bowl competitions Ten nonprofit proposals get a chance to pitch for support Teacher's Tips: Spring! Time for standarized testing Schneider Children's Center set to close Environment Earth Day: Hope for our 'pale blue dot' Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. Ashland on course Rarely seen Pacific fisher to have prominent spot Students at Walker Elementary School in Ashland get hands dirty for Earth Day Ashland Fire & Rescue Alarm Box: There are good fires and there are bad fires Business Harry & David weighs down 1-800-Flowers during latest quarter Adjustments, contributions keep Mt. Ashland on course Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland to host Thanks for the Memories' 'Company' for one night Cars We Remember: Mr. Hot Rod’s 1966 Chevelle 396 Ride & Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 FX4 Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Arthur I. Cyr: Britain’s earthquake election Council wants changes to agreement with ODOT for I-5 welcome center Arthur I. Cyr: Afghanistan progress is uneven but undeniable State News Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Oregon lawmakers begin minimum wage debate Runners to follow historic salmon migration path Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Edward Joseph Pentkowski Death Notices Kenneth Lee Barger Shareable Sports Latest Stories Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Oregon coaches, players ready to 'split up and play' Baseball: Controversy may be blooming over Pete Rose Blazers stay alive Fourteen Raiders earn CCC academic honors High school Penn, Norvell, Baldrica pace Ashland track team at Crater Two Raiders place seventh in CCC Multis Neal, Reitman lead SOU at multi-event championships Ashland Karate Academy racks up trophies in Medford Ashland drops eight-inning pitchers' duel Southern Oregon University Oregon coaches, players ready to 'split up and play' Fourteen Raiders earn CCC academic honors Two Raiders place seventh in CCC Multis Neal, Reitman lead SOU at multi-event championships SOU's Maguin pockets fourth CCC honor Voices Latest Stories Our View: Don't ignore ballot Editor's Notes: A Day in the Life Letters to the Editor, April 30 Granlund cartoon: Earthquake in Nepal Our View: Ski area slips by Editorial Our View: Don't ignore ballot Our View: Ski area slips by Our View: Child care conundrum Our View: Fun with university funding formulas Our View: Passion vs. practicality spelled demise of Ashland theater company Letters Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Letters to the Editor, April 27 Letters to the Editor, April 25 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Guest Opinion: Fremont cottonwood is not a hazard Columns Editor's Notes: A Day in the Life Council Corner: Strategic plan sets goals for city Chris Honoré: Things for which there are simply no satisfactory explanations Herb Rothschild Jr.: 'Right to rest' misguided Guest Opinion: A good day to act Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: A poem in your pocket or smart phone or hand Movie listings: May 1-7 Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Five picks for entertainment this week 'Ex Machina' captivates with style, big questions Theater Ticket Availability East meets west in one-man show Backstage: Ashland Film Festival programmer Feinberg played major role in its success Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland to host Thanks for the Memories' 'Company' for one night Ticket Availability Music Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour The Farr Side: Slow disappearance of physical music On TV: Your guide to the Academy of Country Music Awards The Farr Side: Intriguing time on the Hot 100 Joanne Rand at the Unitarian Fellowship Visual Art More films, excitement than ever for AIFF Ashland's First Friday Art Walk Movies Movie listings: May 1-7 'Ex Machina' captivates with style, big questions Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more 2015 summer movie preview Food and Drink Business profile: Couple opens second Pita Pit in Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Religion News: Pope says calls pay gap between genders ‘pure scandal’ 5 Things to Do This Weekend (May 1-3) Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Donna Knight: Alzheimer’s brings challenges Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Our View: Don't ignore ballot ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, April 30 ... Ticket Availability ... Our View: Don't ignore ballot ... Ashland Calendar, Thursday, April 30 ... Ticket Availability ... WILD SIDE Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Comment By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 7:18 PM By Joseph Vaile Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 7:18 PM » RELATED CONTENT • The top five conservation success of 2014 • Fires and forests evolved together, but now people are in the mix... • What do you think about the return of wolves in Jackson C... » Social News If not for the extra puffy Patagonia jacket, I surely would have frozen to death on the side of the road that day. The temperature was sub-zero and I stood motionless in Yellowstone National Park for hours waiting to catch a glimpse of a grey wolf in the wild.  Dozens of others were gathered on the side of the road decked out in winter gear, many with pricey spotting scopes scanning for wildlife. Then it happened. A woman shouted, “I got one!” With the naked eye, you could see one, then another, speck move across the snow-covered opening.  Two grey wolves trotted out of the brush and lay down in the sun after apparently feeding on an elk carcass. It was the first and only time I had ever seen a wolf in the wild.  We all watched the two wolves lay there, stomachs distended from gorging on the elk meal. Everyone was quiet, entranced by what we were witnessing. I stepped back from my turn at the borrowed spotting scope and looked around at all these people who cared deeply about wolves.  I thought about the question I often get asked, usually immediately after I tell someone what I do for a living: “Why does it matter that we save endangered species?” My answer could include many really good human-centered reasons why it is important to save endangered species. I could state the fact that each year, wolf-related tourism brings $30 million to communities around Yellowstone. Or I could talk about the life-saving medicines we keep discovering from plants. If we wipe out these species, we may have lost a cure. Or I could talk about the role that species play in ensuring that our ecosystems provide us with clean water, clean air and numerous recreational activities. I could also tell the story of wolf recovery in Yellowstone, that in the years following the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone, studies showed surprising and controversial results. Wolf recovery actually benefited rivers inside the park. The presence of wolves was linked to increased movement of elk, which in turn led to less browsing on willows near streams. What some scientists call a “Trophic Cascade” of effects had occurred — the willows recovered and the birds returned. Some claim that a host of life was restored with the return of the wolf.  I could talk about how Congress answered that question in the Endangered Species Act of 1973, recognizing that endangered species “are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people.” Of course we know that our ecosystems are complex, and we may never fully understand the value of each and every species.  These are all good, logical reasons to save endangered species like the wolf. But, none of them would be my answer. What I believe in my heart is that we need to save endangered species because it is simply the right thing to do. Species have a right to exist and we don’t have a right to remove a species from the planet, to wipe them from the Earth forevermore.  I was in Yellowstone the same year that OR-7, possibly the world’s most famous wolf, made tracks of over 1,000 miles, eventually finding a mate and settling in Southern Oregon, where his pups were born. OR-7 is now officially a member of the Rogue Pack living in the Upper Rogue Watershed near the Sky Lakes wilderness.  The latest news is that there is a pair of wolves called the Keno pair living south of the Rogue Pack near the California border. It’s official: wolves are back in Southern Oregon! And they will likely be back in California fairly soon, decades after they were removed from the landscape.  The wolf is a symbol of the wild, a symbol of freedom and hope. We can make room for wolves here in Southern Oregon. Our ability to co-exist with a species like the wolf — and it might not always be easy or simple or without issues — speaks to who we are as a community, as a nation and as a civilization. A people that respects all species, as wild as they may be. Joseph Vaile is executive director of the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild, 541-488-5789, www.kswild.org). His Wild Side column appears every three weeks.   By Joseph Vaile DailyTidings.com By Joseph Vaile Posted Mar. 17, 2015 at 7:18 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501