My-O-My.  How authoritarian of the nearly-well informed Troy Lynn Eckart
(and she implies also Bob Church) that she boldly states there are no
wild ferrets on San Juan (or other?) Island.
 
Well, she may be right, but then again she offers no conclusive proof -
neither she nor Bob Church.  She is expressing an opinion based on . . .
to put it bluntly. . . on heresay.
 
Oddly enough, of all her many contacts with whom she's apparently discussed
this situation, she has not contacted the one agency (person) who'd be most
knowledgable.  That person is the State of Washington Fish and Wildlife
agent who is responsible for this area.  Apparently she's not contacted
them, as I have several years ago.
 
To state strongly as Troy Lynn Eckart has, that there are no wild ferrets on
San Juan Island, based on her research, may be an absurd conclusion and she
may have overstated an opinion previously held then theoretically supported
with her "facts."
 
I think that had she stated she has no reason to BELIEVE there are wild
ferrets on the island, I wouldn't be confronting her now with these words,
but for her adamantly to assume the role of an authoritarian, I think,
deserves the following commentary.
 
Please note I'm not assailing the messenger, but instead the message.
 
To prove the existence of any particular wild animal and to prove
conclusively, without any doubt whatsoever, is to capture their visage on
film by trip cameras loaded with infrared and/or normal film.  Such cameras
are trained on scent-lure traps that are triggered with trip wires that will
activate a flash or infrared equipped cameras and capture the image of the
creature activating the trap.  If the processed film show images of ferrets,
then one may conclude that there are/is that many "feral" ferrets located
in association with the traps.
 
Seems simple enough to do, doesn't it?  The point is, it has not been done.
Why?  Well, the one reason is the legislature has not appropriated funds for
this effort to be undertaken, Why not?  Funds will not be appropriated until
there is conclusive proof of economic damage attributed to feral ferrets
and/or conclusive proof exists that feral ferrets are the definite source of
a public health menace.  To date there is no conclusive proof of either.
So the question may be asked, can feral ferrets exist in an area withour
causing economic damage or being the source of a public health menace?  What
do you think?  I would like to think such could be the case, since I'm such
an incurable romantic.
 
Perhaps, the truthful answer to the question of whether or not feral ferrets
exist currently on San Juan Island is: NO ONE REALLY KNOWS.  Hopefully Troy
Lynn Eckart will continue to pursue her passion and will provide us with
information on this subject that we can all greatfully accept without
question.
 
Edward Lipinski, Der Wahrheitskaempe von Frettchenvergnuegenland der
sagt, "Errare humanum est."
Edward Lipinski, The champion of truth from ferret joy land who says,
[L.] " To err is human."
[Posted in FML issue 2394]