Study of the Endangered Species Act to be Discussed at April 16 Lecture

Robert and Linda Sands to deliver free public lecture at The College of Wooster

WOOSTER, Ohio - Robert Sands, visiting assistant professor of anthropology and archaeology at The College of Wooster, and his wife, Linda Sands, a wildlife biologist and senior ecosystems planner for CH2M HILL (a global leader in full-service engineering, construction, and operations), will present "A Practical Application of the Endangered Species Act (ESA): The Case of the Desert Tortoise" on Wednesday, April 16, in Lean Lecture Room of Wishart Hall (303 E. University St.). The lecture, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7 p.m.

Sands' presentation will explore the management of the threatened desert tortoise, (Gopherus agassizii) a keystone species in California's Mojave Desert. He will explain how programs designed to protect endangered species, such as those exhibited by land managers in the Mojave Desert, have not only helped maintain the viability of the Desert Tortoise, but have also benefited many other species by the preservation of the desert habitat during unprecedented growth in the Mojave during the past 20 years. However, Sands asserts, the continued encroachment on these federal lands and recreational use that severely impacts the fragile desert ecosystem imperils the future of the Desert Tortoise and other sensitive species.

"The Endangered Species Act is one of the most controversial pieces of legislation enacted to protect animal and plant life and their habitats threatened by human impact/development," said Sands. "Since its initial inception in 1966 as the Endangered Species Preservation Act, the ESA has undergone significant revision, with the overall structure of the 1973 Endangered Species Act remaining mostly unchanged, despite several updates since its passage.

"The merits of the Act have been debated in court and in the court of public opinion, and the Act itself has become an instrument used by organizations such as the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to halt or impede development on public lands" added Sands. "Most recently, Greenpeace and the NRDC sued the U.S. government for not protecting the polar bear from extinction due to the effects of global warming. Less contentious, but just as important to the ESA is the stewardship responsibility to manage species that are threatened or endangered and their critical habitat by Federal land managers, such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Department of Energy (DoE), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and others."

Robert Sands received his doctorate in anthropology at the University of Illinois and his M.A. in anthropology from Iowa State University. Prior to coming to The College of Wooster this year, he was the environmental manager for CH2M HILL at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California's Mojave Desert. Sands managed a state of the art environmental program at the storied and infamous Research, Test and Development Base that covered all environmental protocols, including natural and cultural resources. Sands' other research interests include sport and culture, about which he has published five books. Currently, he is researching running and human evolution and origins of religion. One of Sands' teaching assignments this semester is a course on environmental anthropology.

Linda Sands is a wildlife biologist and senior ecosystems planner for CH2M HILL. Her work currently includes the evaluation of federal sites where natural resource injury has occurred due to the release of environmental contaminants. Two of her sites include the Naval Weapons Station at Seal Beach in California's Orange County and most of Edwards AFB. She is also the environmental compliance manager for the $110 million runway project at Edwards. She is currently a graduate student in molecular biology at California State University, Northridge, where she is evaluating genetic mutations that cause a rare and lethal form of dwarfism.

The Sands Lecture is sponsored by the Sociology/Anthropology Club, the Archaeology Student Colloquium, and the Department of Sociology/Anthropology. Additional information is available by phone (330-263-2532) or e-mail (rsands@wooster.edu).