OUTDOOR CORNER: EXTINCTION: A GEM LOST FOREVER

Bachman's Warbler, a former resident of Southeast Missouri, falls victim to man's encroachment.

As an Ecologist I am frequently asked pointed questions about rare or protected species in our state.

Most often the questions revolve around what value could a rare or endangered animal have in light of societies greater concerns and plans. A good example of that is when someone wants to clear an area for housing or farming and does not consider the conversion of habitat to be any great loss.

Instead, it is seen as a new asset to the area and money is often taken into consideration. Yet nothing has a value we do not place on it.

Rubies, emeralds and sapphires are geologic rarities that are termed precious stones. Never common in the earth's crust, great expense and effort have to be devoted to finding and extracting these stones. They are beautiful rocks used to decorate things we want to have increased value and beauty.

Beauty and rarity are the reasoning for the value of gem stones. Think of how many movies and television shows have revolved around the exciting search for lost gems. Our society values gems. They are something to be treasured.

Yet another view is that they are just rocks! In fact it could seem ridiculous that simple stones could have any value at all! They do not really have any purpose. They can't make our lives better. A lot of money could be considered wasted in procuring them, money that could have gone to another worthy cause. They are simply something to look at!

At least Diamonds and gold have industrial uses. Most gem stones are pretty rocks we seldom see because their value keeps them secured away. So I ask why the great value?

It seems somewhere in human history that we decided to place great value on certain things that are rare. This mentality exists yet today but only for select items. If placing value on rare items makes sense to you, then let me introduce to you a paradox.

Southeast Missouri had something extremely rare that was very difficult to find. In fact it was so rare it was not discovered by Scientists until 1833. It was a beautiful item and very rare much like a gem stone. This gem was the Bachman's Warbler. A tiny delicate bird of strong contrasting colors. The belly was an intense lemon yellow and the back was a dark grey tempered with ebony black trim on the wings and a collar around the neck. No argument would be forwarded saying that the insect eating bird was anything but beautiful.

The bird was rare and was very difficult to find and that was part of the reason scientists almost never discovered it. Swamps with extensive areas of native cane were the summer stomping grounds for the tiny warbler. It would feed in the tree tops and nest in the large continuous expanses of cane, called canebrakes. The nest and eggs of these birds were first described in swamp that formerly occurred in Dunklin County. Trekking through a swamp to find the bird meant a lot of effort had to be exerted.

Beyond its beauty and rarity, the bird served little function to mankind. Its song was pleasant, but we could live without it. The bird was a bright gem in the treetops, but such a sight may not be considered worth much. For all practical purposes the bird was worthless to society, but only if you choose to look at it that way.

For those who do appreciate such things, the bird was an object that increased the value of the land it inhabited. Its rareness only escalated the value. With our fondness for the rare and radiant you might expect that many people know of this wetland resident, yet few people know it even exists.

Part of the reason we are unaware of some beautiful ecological oddities is a mentality that wildlife are not valuable unless you can use them. Animals that have no use are seldom very well known compared to those you can use. It must be hunted or caught before any real value can be gleaned from it. At least that is a common notion.

Nothing is wrong with hunting, fishing or trapping, I simply find it odd that animals that have limited uses are not valued. I argue that some things hold a value that goes beyond usefulness. Rainbows are useless yet I would not trade one viewing I have had.

The Bachman's Warbler is a gem stone that has passed without any mourning. Few knew of its existence then and even fewer know it is gone today. Hope still exists that the bird might be found in some swamps in Georgia, however, many ecologists consider the bird extinct. It was last sighted in the 1960's.

Its loss was directly related to man's clearing of the land. We are the cause of this almost certain extinction. I encourage those of us who make use of certain types of wildlife to examine the worth we place on species we do not use.

When a gem is lost forever or destroyed in the movies we feel an injustice has occurred. When we lose a gem of a species forever, how do we feel?

A.J. Hendershott is an education consultant with the Missouri Department of Conservation.