Humans are an "endangering species"

Scott Isler made some terrific points in his letter to the editor in yesterday's Oregonian. It wasn't posted online, so here's the text:

Full text after the break.

Scott Smith asks, "what's wrong with this picture?" in noting that our culture seems to prefer spotted owls, wolves, salmon, and bees over humans.

The fact is that human activity has systematically stood on the throat of most natural systems for centuries.

Spotted owls did not destroy the timber industry. The industry (and Congress) chose an unsustainable course, consuming a non-renewable resource. Yes, we can plant lots of trees, but not a single old-growth eco-system.

Ranchers do get paid...for wolf killed cattle and sheep that often graze in areas forever changed by invasive species.

Water is diverted from salmon habitat to grow water-intensive crops in the high desert.
And try eating almost anything without bees and other pollinators.

Human beings are not an endangered species; we are the endangering species. A reasonable person should appreciate the fact that at least some of us take steps to regulate our impact on this world.