Irrigated agriculture destroys endangered species

Tony Francois (commentary Dec. 1) wants you to believe that lack of water delivery is harming species.

While I can appreciate the plight of farmers, his claims about various endangered species are just plain wrong. Fairy shrimp live in, and tiger salamanders breed in, vernal pools. Vernal pools occur in unplowed, open grassland and depend entirely on rainfall for water.

Irrigated agriculture has destroyed what was once vast areas of vernal pools. Kit fox and California condors might occasionally hunt or forage on the edge of irrigated cropland, but they live and raise their young in unplowed open grasslands and adjacent hills. None of these species depend upon federal water transfers for their habitat, livelihood or even water.

And finally, it seems pretty two-faced to claim that farmers appreciate these other endangered species, while they are constantly maligning endangered delta fish.

This story was originally published December 9, 2016 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Irrigated agriculture destroys endangered species."