I think that invertebrates such as Liguus would be relatively unaffected
by activities which don't involve a lot of actual loss of habitat - i
doubt that Landsnail populations would be significantly diminished or
threatened by petrocabon exploitation in a Big Cyprus.  That said,
species such as the endangered Florida Panther and others that
instinctively retreat from contact with humans, and/or require large
areas of undisturbed mature habitat to do well, would be severely
affected by widespread disturbances and increased habitat fragmentation
due to pipeline corridors, roads, etc. that would be inevitably
associated with hydrocarbon exploration and development  - not to
mention the aesthetics of the matter: if we disrupt and damage the last
of our wilderness areas in a desperate attempt to find more oil and gas
to feed our destructive addiction to fossil feul energy sources, this
would be an immense loss to the spirit of our society.

I would strongly recommend that American lost members consider objecting
strongly to this and other ill-advised attempts to place greed and
short-term (the USA uses 25% of the world's fossil feuls, yet has only
3% of the remaining reserves - even drilling every National Park and
wilderness preserve in the country would most likely not change these
figures very much) economic concerns ahead of all that really matters in
the final analysis.   Recall that all that is nessessary for evil to
triumph, is apathy and inaction!

-Ross Mayhew.

The National Park Service is accepting comments from the public until
Feb. 23, 2002.   Please write to:

Big Cypress National Preserve, HCR 61
Box 110
Ochopee, Florida, 34141

Note that the correct URL for general information on this topic is:
      http://ens-news.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-17-06.html

Paul Mikkelsen

------------------------------
In a message dated 1/19/2002 3:11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:


        Dear Floridians and other ConchLers,

     Yesterday I came across the following worrisome news item on in
internet site Environmental News Service:

     Park services approves oil drilling in Florida Reserve

     The National Park Service has given its initial approval to a
proposal to drill thousands of holes and detonate throusands of
underground explosions in a search for oil beneath Big Cypress National
Preserve in Florida.

     More information is available from:

     http://ens-mews.com/ens/jan2002/2002L-01-17-06.html

     My question is: Are there any Liguus living in the Big Cypress
National Preserve? If that is the case, will those populations  be
endangered by the proposed oil explorations?

     Bet regards,

     Henk K. Mienis

     [log in to unmask]