Pentagon pays landowners to protect endangered birds in Texas, but long-term impact is questioned

A controversial Pentagon program funded through Texas A&M University pays landowners near a Texas military post to protect endangered bird species to offset damage to the birds' habitats damaged inside the post's boundaries. "Despite complaints that the program is a boondoggle for the landowners, some federal officials are pushing to replicate it at other military sites and in federal highway projects," Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post reports. "The program's effectiveness has been questioned by several military officials, federal wildlife authorities and an independent consulting firm, which recommended that the Army cancel it."(Post map)

Many question whether the program will help the birds in the long run, since the easements on private property are temporary. Permanent easements that permanently bar development are known to be more effective in protecting threatened species.

"It remains unclear whether the program is succeeding in expanding the number of golden-cheeked warblers in central Texas," writes Eilperin. "A biological evaluation issued by the Fish and Wildlife Service on Aug. 2, 2007, agreed with the Army that the project's impact would not necessarily boost the bird's numbers."(Read more)