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The Magazine of the CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES |
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Letters to the Editor Real Kamikaze BatsI enjoyed Lisa Owens-Viani’s “War Stories” (Summer 1999) about the Academy’s behind-the-scenes role in World War II. As a former Academy staff member, I had heard of the Optical Shop in North American Hall, and knew about Robert Orr’s live bats. It is not surprising that these have become confused with a wartime secret project involving “kamikaze bats” delivering tiny incendiary bombs to enemy cities. What may surprise most California Wild readers is that such a project really happened, but not at the Academy! About 50 years after the fact, one of the principals in “Project X-Ray” wrote a book detailing one of the most extraordinary episodes of the War. I highly recommend Jack Couffer’s Bat Bomb: World War II’s Other Secret Weapon (University of Texas Press, Austin). For readers with interests in both military and natural history, Bat Bomb is a unique and wacky combination. One lesson was that the desperation to defeat the Axis precluded almost any thought of the welfare or ecological importance of the bats. It is yet another reason to be grateful for our times of relative peace. But some good research on bat biology came out of “Project X-Ray.” And the book is a very good read. Stephen F. Bailey Desert DangersI enjoyed reading “View From Silver Peak” in your Spring 1999 issue, where George Wuerthner describes the stark splendor of the California desert and the several-million-acre legacy created by the California Desert Protection Act (CDPA). However, we still have our work cut out for us. The National Park Service (NPS) is challenged with managing millions of new acres without the funds and staff to match. Additionally, the new lands in the desert parks are beset with legislated uses that undermine protection, including grazing, hunting, and mining. The article asserts that grazing is “legally protected at existing levels on all grazing allotments in the new national park units” and that the NPS has “less latitude to manage livestock and their impacts on the new park lands.” In fact, the CDPA stated that grazing could not exceed existing levels and that it is subject to “applicable laws and National Park Service regulations.” In other words, NPS has the authority to manage grazing to protect park resources. Unfortunately, they have not yet fully exercised it. The article also laments the danger of future private development inside the Mojave National Preserve. However, the greater threat is outside development. The Mojave National Preserve is threatened by the expansion of a mining operation that has spilled radioactive and hazardous waste in the Preserve, a proposal to build a large airport for nearby Las Vegas, and a plan to establish a golf course and resort at one of the Preserve’s main entrances. The Preserve and Death Valley National Park are also combating the ongoing loss and contamination of groundwater resources. As the article mentions, Joshua Tree National Park is combating the establishment of the world’s largest landfill just outside park wilderness. Such development pressures will only persist, as the California desert parks neighbor two of the country’s fastest growing regions: southern California and Las Vegas. We take courage from the fact that the campaign for the CDPA made it clear that the American public is willing to fight for the protection of our California desert. Public support helped pass the legislation and public support is needed to make the dream of protection come true. Helen Wagenvoord
George Wuerthner’s article on the California Desert Protection Act highlights several key issues facing the desert parks, but fails to include one of the most pressing concerns: the increasing development and growth of nearby urban centers. The Las Vegas vicinity, for example, is currently the nation’s fastest growing region, with 5,000 new arrivals each month. The city, which already has the nation’s tenth largest airport, plans on constructing another airport just outside of the Mojave National Preserve. Such a project will have serious impacts on the natural resources of the adjacent parklands. Urban development needs to be immediately addressed if the California desert parks are to be protected for future generations. Ray K. Wan Truly Blue MoonsThe Winter 1999 “Skyguide” contains a brief article on Blue Moons—two full Moons in the same calendar month. However, the original meaning is a fourth Moon in a season [beginning with an equinox or a solstice]. Arnold Chasinov Love Those OriginsThe “Human Origins Special Issue” was one of the best editing and writing jobs I’ve seen for a theme issue of any periodical. A wonderful, thorough, and well-rounded piece of work—as good as any introductory book. Robert Lehman Whenever your magazine arrives I am looking forward to its content: First I turn to the back pages to read the never-disappointing articles by J.M. Lowenstein. In your last issue, however, he well nigh lost his first place to Nina Jablonski. Not only is her article most knowledgable, but her sense of humor made me chuckle with delight many a time. You have my admiration for handing out information that tends to be somewhat dry in such an engaging manner. Nora Norden |
Fall 1999
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