Even most Californians don't know about it. For one thing, the combatants are tiny, each just a fraction of an inch long. And their war is taking place far from the media glare. But it's slowly gaining attention. Last week the New York Times wrote about it, and unless the situation improves, sooner or later we'll all be familiar with the West Coast's troubles.
Today represents a great victory for horseshoe crabs.
The Secretary's decision to establish a preserve in federal waters for the protection of horseshoe crabs is the right thing to do. But a new study warns that unsafe food sources and the captive condors' tame offspring could doom efforts to save the giant birds. They are beating the chain saw, but the Northwest's spotted owls seem to be having a tougher time against a feathered foe. Oddly enough, many campers never think about planning a trip to land contained within the National Wildlife Refuge System. When you cross the power line on the trail to Mohawk State Forest's black spruce bog, it is like crossing to the wild's other side.