Photo ©2009 and Commentary ©2025 by Robert Howson
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Conservation seemingly had no part in the vocabulary or thinking of most 19th century Americans. Almost limitless numbers of Passenger Pigeons were reduced to zero. Carolina Parakeets met with the same terminal fate. Extinction means exactly that, no second chances, no mulligans. But by the early 1900s some were beginning to recognize that man could make a difference by the way he perceived his responsibility to nature. Agencies were created, thus, in 1987 the smallest vireo in the United States was placed on the endangered species list. At that time there were only about 350 Black-capped Vireo known to exist and the path to extinction seemed to be a very real possibility.
Because this species is found only in the Hill Country of Texas, plus a very few sprinkled in parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico, I had never seen one. This demanded a pilgrimage to the Edward Plateau. There, after considerable searching, we found our bird, one week after it was taken off the endangered species list. Of the 59 species that have been delisted since the act was created, seven have been removed because the species had recovered. This is one of those success stories where man’s efforts have made a measurable difference.
Although this passage wasn’t written with ecological concerns in mind, I don’t think we would be too far off to use it as a warning to use our resources responsibly. “The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.” (Isaiah 24:5 NIV) It’s good to know that man cannot only destroy, but if he elects to do so, he can also choose to make a positive difference.