Because it is important to understand what is in our rivers and how they are changing! According to a recent Missoulain article, the Glacier Stonefly is at risk of becoming endangered due to the effects of climate change.
Read it HERE
The Stonefly needs clean and cold water, so it is known as an indicator species for healthy rivers.
Reading some of the comments regarding the article on the stonefly, it's obvious that many outspoked individuals don't trust the science anymore.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note, from the perspective of an eastern MT resident, I'm seeing lots of attention directed towards an insect in a pristine mountain stream when there are places right here on the Tongue (sometimes locally referred to as the east fork of the flathead) and Powder Rivers where native macroinvertebrates have been totally replaced by scuds and mat forming bacteria due to coal bed methane water discharges. Now there's a push by our MT elected officials to develop more coal on the upper Tongue and build a railroad on its shores. It seems obvious that it's ok to sacrifice certain species in the name of energy development based on scenery and perception.