• Invasive species add to biodiversity.
• The Endangered Species Act is dangerous and should be repealed
• That was an Ivory Billed Woodpecker in Arkansas, but it was smuggled in from Cuba by environmentalists
• The UN is actively working to outlaw guns in America
• Native ecosystems don’t exist
• And of course, global warming is a farce

If you agree with all those statements, you’ll be tickled to know that a man named Mr. Beers will be testifying before the House Natural Resources Committee next week. Mr. Beers believes all these things and has been invited to testify to the committee next week by Republican Representative Wayne Krieger of Gold Beach. 

He’ll be testifying on the History of Wolf Reintroduction and Diseases (click here for a history of wolves in Oregon). We can only assume he’s there to testify about echinococcus.  Echinococcus, in addition to being very difficult to spell, is a tapeworm found across nearly the entire planet. As long as you wash your hands after handling wildlife poop, it’s not a threat to humans. 

Wolves, like your pet dog, are one of several carriers of the disease. Perhaps it was out of boredom with trotting out tired old wolf myths, but anti-wolf interests have latched on to the disease as their latest fear-mongering tactic.

They claim it’s a new disease brought to America by the federal government through “Canadian wolves”. The Oregon Cattlemen’s Association couldn’t help but testify about this at an ODFW meeting in March. They were quickly and thoroughly shot down by wildlife managers. The same thing has happened across the West, and the “massive threat” posed by echinococcus has been widely discredited.  Here’s ODFW’s fact sheet on the issue. 

Continue past the jump for more (and an update)

We were disappointed to hear this was happening, so asked committee chair Brian Clem (rep.brianclem@state.or.us) to at least invite some legitimate scientists or credible agency staff to testify.  (For a full list of committee members, click here). We haven’t heard back from him, but he’s legitimately a busy man. Perhaps he’d like to hear from you too. 

As it turns out, Mr. Beers, who hangs his credibility on the fact that he once served as an employee with US Fish & Wildlife Services, is in town at the invitation of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association. He’ll be speaking to provide “balance” at a symposium they’re hosting titled “Can Ranchers and Wolves Co-Exist?”

“We are excited to get everyone in the same room to address these challenges with key environmental and wildlife experts seated at the table,” said Bill Hoyt, President of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. “This is an incredible opportunity to have a discussion that could lead to a well-balanced solution.”

Considering he’s being touted by the Cattlemen’s Association as the key environmental and wildlife expert, I bet the answer will be no.

I remember when author Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame was invited by Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe to testify before the Senate as an expert on global warming. Mr. Beers may have a bit more credibility...But then maybe not, Michael Crichton at least sold his books in the fiction section.

Update May 21st, 2010: I'm on a list, eh?

Oregon wolves may no longer be on the Endangered Species list, but I'm on someone else's list because of this blog post.

Click here to listen to the voicemail I got last night from a..."fellow wolf advocate"(?!):

Here's a snip:

Hello Rob…I read an article about you trying to claim that one of our fellow wolf advocates XXXX Beers basically is, you know, telling lies…We do not, absolutely do not, want this [Canadian] wolf in Oregon. We will prosecute anybody and everybody that is fighting to keep this wolf in Oregon. And, like I said, we have your name on a list and we’ll be contacting you personally..."

Canadian wolves, eh? Cuban woodpeckers? Mexican Spotted Owls? Now that's biodiversity!

Note: Mr. Beers is indeed his name, but we didn’t include his full name as we don’t want to help aid his effort to rise from obscurity.