Preserve America's Woodlands
© Patricia M. Theison
There were about twenty white-tailed deer in the herd. They stood in the middle of the barren landscape looking around in confusion and fear. Some sniffed and pawed the freshly disturbed earth. Some nosed the silent bulldozers looming over them in the dusky twilight. Others just milled around, disoriented. The evening before, this area had been where they grazed and played in the moonlight. The meadow had been surrounded by giant oaks, hickories and maple trees. Now the trees were piled in the center of the yellow clay field. Nothing green remained. Only the roots of the trees sticking out of the brush pile like the bones of decaying skeletons lingered of the deers' world. The nearby creek ran yellow and brown with soil, the "blood" of the natural habitat that was destroyed in one day's time. One by one, in single file, the deer slowly retreated uphill into what was left of the woods. A large buck halted just as he approached the edge of the cleared area and looked back. His nose twitched. Then, with a flip of his white tail he bounded out of sight. The herd wasn't seen again. Construction of the new golf course began. The condos came later.It was rumored that the property owners hired hunters to get rid of the deer, and raccoons, etc. They considered them a menace to the use of their new property. Somebody DID erect a rough wooden statue of a deer in the middle of the golf course in effegy.
It's happening all over the world. Not inch by inch, but acre by acre, the Earth's woodlands, grasslands and other natural landscapes are being destroyed. These areas are being cleared to build houses, condominiums, golf courses, and shopping malls. The wildlife that habitated the areas for years are sometimes killed. All are displaced, usually left without food. They wander into populated areas only to be labeled as pests or they are sometimes destroyed because they "trespassed" on human territory.
By destroying the natural nesting places of many birds, man is causing himself grief. A large part of the bird population eats mosquitoes and other harmful insects. By reducing their nesting sights, we reduce their numbers. With fewer birds to eat the undesirable insects, man, in his "wisdom," sprays toxic pesticides to control these pests. These pesticides not only kill the insects, they pollute our waterways, contaminate our air and land and cause cancer and other diseases. The birds seem to be a safer means of eradication. Predators such as eagles, hawks, coyotes and owls are eliminated. The rodent and rabbit populations swell and once again man uses pesticides and other poisons to rid "his world" of these pests.
