LETTERS: WETLAND OFFERS LEARNING OPPORTUNITY

To the editor:

It is unfortunate that the plans for construction of the new high school have run into a snag caused by the presence of a wetland on the construction site. We can approach this problem in a number of ways. Since we are dealing with a high school issue, possibly the best way to look at the situation is as an educational opportunity. I can see at least three tremendous educational opportunities that this presents.

The first educational opportunity that it presents us is that it allows us to model for the youth of the city how obstacles to one's plans may be addressed. It seems to me that the appropriate approach to model is one in which we calmly analyze the problem and then develop strategies to resolve it.

The second opportunity is in the values that we can model in addressing the issue. We live on a small planet with dwindling natural resources. One of the most important lessons that we should be teaching young people is the importance of protecting the environment. If we wish to convey the value of conservation to the next generation, then we should be modeling this value in our dealings with the wetland issue. One thing that we know is that the Missouri Department of Conservation's Checklist of Rare and Endangered Species lists over 850 species of concern in the state. Since species become endangered most frequently as a consequence of habitat loss, and since the two habitat types that we have most reduced are prairies and wetlands, it is not surprising to find that many of the species on the checklist are prairie and wetland inhabitants. We also know that the best way to protect species is to manage the environment in such a way that habitats are not destroyed and populations are not reduced to the point of endangerment. We could argue that "it's only a couple of acres, so what harm could its destruction do?" But just as happened with the millions of acres of bottomland forest between Scott City and the Arkansas border that were drained and deforested for farmland in the early decades of this century, we also know that a couple of acres here and a couple of acres there pretty soon add up to an entire landscape of habitat loss. The wetland on the high school site presents a fine opportunity to model the kind of concern and behavior that it takes if we are to prevent the wholesale extinction of the myriad of creatures with which we share the planet. I am afraid that I do not consider arguing that the problem is all government red tape and bureaucracy (a Southeast Missourian editorial Feb. 28 quite fits the bill). Furthermore, arguing that these few acres don't contain enough endangered species to be worth saving misses the point completely. This is not the valuing model that I feel we should be presenting to the young generation of Cape Girardeau.

The final educational opportunity that I see here is the wetland itself. Rather than trying to figure out how we can doze and plow it under, shouldn't we be trying to figure out how we could use it to incorporate into the curriculum the development of an understanding and appreciation for such communities.

DR. KATHLEEN CONWAY

Cape Girardeau