"Comeback kid"

The symbol of the Audubon Society of which I am a proud member, the Great Egret (Ardea alba) was nearly wipped out in the United States during the 1800's and early 1900's. Populations declined as much as 95% as these birds were hunted down for their feathers. With the help of such conservation organizations as the Audubon Society, the Great Egret is doing well today. Like its cousin the Cattle Egret, the Great Egret is a very cosmopolitan bird with populations in both the New and Old World. It is the largest New World Egret and can live to be over 20 years old. The only threat to these birds today is the constant destruction of wetlands, which is a big problem for so many birds today. Why is it that mankind insists on building on the shores of the ocean or other bodies of water? Such practices destroy land vital to so many plants and animals and when flood or storms come (as they always do) we all get to pay the price for these foolish building practices in the form of higher insurance premiums. And what about all those tax dollars going into maintaining levies and dikes? I am sorry citizens of New Orleans, but to live in a city that is below sea level is foolish and the tax dollars to try to keep such a city dry could be spent more wisely addressing issues that have solutions.