Adding to the List

Adding to the List. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. I have always found it fascinating how we as humans have stepped in to assist a species, intervening to keep a living thing from becoming the last of its kind. The Giant Palouse Earthworm is once again getting that kind of attention even though fairly recently it was rejected as a candidate for the endangered list. The worm is found in areas of eastern Washington and western Idaho in what is noted for being prime agriculture land. Scott Yates, Director of Communications with the Washington Grain Commission says that the ag community thought this issue was done with. YATES: We believe that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was correct in saying that there wasn't enough information to go forward with the appeal and the fact that the environmental group has petitioned a second time to the Fish & Wildlife Service it's just interesting. During the Bush Administration it was refused and now they're taking a second look at it. There has been a lot of talk as to what this might do to stem use of lands in the area. YATES: It really shouldn't have much impact at all because this petition, while we hate to see it is really only going to apply to the native habitat in the Palouse which we feel is already pretty well protected. The farm ground by and large has been farmed for more than a hundred years and the worms have not been found in that habitat. The worms have been found in the native vegetation. The Fish and Wildlife Service said it now believes there is sufficient scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the worm as threatened or endangered may be warranted, based on additional study. YATES: Of course we're concerned. We don't want another endangered species listing because they all affect farming with additional regulations and it's possible there could be buffers around the native habitat so yes, we're concerned. You know whenever we start talking about endangered species our antennae start to vibrate and it's not something we believe is justified at this time and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals did not think it was justified. The two living specimens discovered this spring near Moscow, Idaho, were only the fifth time the species has been found in the past 100 years and was thought to be extinct. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.