May 123, 2005 - The Thursday, April 29, 2005 public announcement of the “rediscovery” of the Ivory-billed woodpecker within the Cache River Wildlife Refuge sent adrenalin rushing through my body. I was quite literally moved, following the exhilaration, to the brink of tears. It is so gratifying to know that a bird no one thought had entered the 21st Century has indeed survived, documented by sightings from seven different scientists, to grace the bottomlands of Arkansas. A single specimen was first observed a year ago but this wonderful discovery is just now being announced to the general public, and rightly so. Months of hard work were necessary to confirm this shy and retiring bird. Much had to be done to insure the protection of this last foothold of the species. These efforts have led to the formation of the Big Woods Conservation Partnership consisting of Cornell University, Louisiana State University, Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas, the Nature Conservancy and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. This entity will no doubt do much to protect and enhance of knowledge of the biology of this rarest of birds.
The likes of Alexander Wilson, John James Audubon, Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt have expressed their admiration for this mighty member of class Aves. In fact, few creatures have come to symbolize the plight of extant organisms facing extinction as well as the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. It is a member of the family Picidae which consists of approximately 180 types of woodpeckers though out the world. This family is made up of 33 genera and there are 11 woodpeckers within the Campephilus genus; the Ivory-billed’s specific name is principalis and it has been believed extinct in the United States for decades. As early as the 1890s this species was recognized as rare. Unfortunately, this drove many naturalists of the day to rush to collect and preserve these magnificent creatures. Collectors were willing to pay high prices for specimens to those who would brave the lowland swamps along those states bordering the Mississippi River to “take” this creature for the sake of science. This practice did, in a sense, preserve them for posterity but likely did a great deal to add to their dwindling numbers. However, the hunting of these birds played a much smaller role in their persecution than did the economics of the day. There was much money to be made logging the virgin timber of the Southeast and the habitat upon which the bird depended quickly disappeared. In 1935, ornithologists from Cornell University launched a valiant effort to study and access the status of the Ivory-billed within the Southeastern United States. Their research stimulated a valiant attempt by the Audubon Society to rescue the habitat upon which the bird depended and hence bird itself. As mentioned, until recently, it was thought to be too little too late.
Those factors previously mentioned, human overexploitation and habitat destruction are two of those most commonly listed among the major reasons for modern extinctions. Some experts estimate that earth is home to between 4 – 100 million species of plants and animals that we are losing 24 – 100 species per day! This is a frightening account of the progression of the loss of our planet’s biodiversity. Unfortunately, most modern reasons for species loss are believed to be anthropogenic, i.e. humans have “subdued” this earth with a vengeance. In fact, it has been estimated that the carrying capacity of the earth for which the number of humans would result in no harm to other creatures or loss of the necessary habitat is two billion. We currently exceed six billion humans on this planet. Our worldwide society is today living on borrowed carrying capacity. When we use the plant & animal resources of yesteryear (coal, petroleum and, yes, Ivory-billed woodpeckers) we are borrowing from the past and from the future of succeeding generations as we deplete the world’s physical and aesthetic resources.
Some, in fact several, have claimed Christianity to be the culprit of the ecological crisis in the United States and other parts of the world. Authors such as Alan Watts, Arnold Toynbee, Aldo Leopold, and Lynn White have propagated this notion by capitalizing upon the reference I previously made to "subduing" the earth. It is true that in Gen. 1:26 God spoke of our having "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth" and in Ps 8:6 we are declared to be “ruler over the works of your hands”. However, a greater appreciation for the context and meaning of scripture is needed to illumine the veracity of God’s intended meaning and His plan for humankind upon this planet. It is also noteworthy that in Matt 20:25-28 we find one of Jesus’ own declarations stating that “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant” and another that states the Father is aware of even the sparrow that falls to the ground. As I understand it, the Hebrew phrase in Gen. 2:15 rendered “till and keep” could be “serve & preserve”. Previously mentioned scriptures express God’s love for His creation and, in keeping with His numerous exhortations encouraging us to accept servanthood, place humans in the role of stewardship. There are numerous scriptures that reveal much more than the limited view presented by the authors claiming Christians have ruined our planetary abode. For example, John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world “ and would appear to encompass more than a single creature known as Homo sapiens. “The land” God tells Moses “must observe a Sabbath. It is a land that the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord are continually upon it (Deut.11:10-12). What we routinely call nature is in fact creation and is something of which we have been placed in charge but is not our own to abuse or destroy.
The broader view of scripture is not one that would see God as commanding, encouraging or even allowing us to exploit the resources of our home but, rather, one expecting us to manage and protect His creation. As I have stated in other of my writings and presentations, humanities’ niche on this planet is to serve as her CEO species. The answer to the earth’s problems, at least from the Christian perspective, is to find the road back to God’s command to “tend the garden”. However daunting the overall task of solving the environmental and ecological problems facing our world, I would hope that Christians everywhere will recognize the benefits of and find they are willing to rise to the challenge of saving one of God’s species, Campephilus principalis, from extinction. ¬ There will undoubtedly be great precautions taken to preserve the Ivory-billed woodpecker and, as has been witnessed by the struggles surrounding the spotted owl and other endangered species, they may conflict with some human interests. I can imagine few circumstances that would prevent me from supporting every effort to rescue and protect this species. Deut. 30: 19-20 says "Today I have set before you life and death, blessings & curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." I vote "life" for the Ivory-billed woodpecker, if for no other reason, than it is one of God’s creations. My prayer is that this species will climb from the brink of extinction and that its place in creation will never again be threatened.
For more information about the Ivory-billed woodpecker, please visit our book reviews and read the review The Race to Save the Lord God Bird by Phillip Hoose.