Davenport, C. (2019, February 12). Top Leader at Interior Dept. Pushes a Policy Favoring His Former Client. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/12/climate/david-bernhardt-endangered-species.html
A top official of the Interior Department of the U.S. named David Bernhardt has been attempting to reduce protections that have been made against the Delta Smelt which resides in deltas in San Francisco. He wishes to divert water that the smelt is kept in to farmers in California, but this could have some unintended consequences. It is not only against the EPA which requires that all environmental protection is based on the latest science which states that the smelt must be protected, but if the smelt does die off due to water diversion the area in which it was will become a toxic algal bloom that could kill a dog.
This is relevant to environmental science since the smelt is an endangered species that is an important part of its ecosystem. Not only that, but if they do die off they could cause a large dead zone in San Francisco which would not be ideal and would likely contaminate the already scarce water supply. To fix this the government must listen to its top scientists and realize that the smelt must be protected or there could be much larger problems on our hands than a lack of water for farmers.
I think it is so funny and sad that people can;t see the bigger picture when making decisions, especially our leaders. If the smelt do die off then the water will be unusable anyways and then no one will get water.
The situation of the delta smelt is a very interesting one. Critics of the protections of the smelt argue that it is just one little fish, however it signifies the health of the entire delta. Do you believe the united states should prioritize the smelt or the farmers?
Is it really worth it for the delta smelt to be saved, as they require a lot of water to keep them living, and compete with the farmers as well for water.