Kendall: this is my signature on my yahoo account:

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
only after the last river has been poisoned,
only after the last fish has been caught,
only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten.
--The Cree People

I am also fond of the idea expressed by the Hopi: that no decision should be made affecting the entire tribe (such as damming a river, culling a herd, felling a forest), until it has been determined how that action will affect the tribe *seven generations into the future.*

Alex, good point on the predators: we decimated many of the predator populations years ago. That is exactly why deer populations have exploded in recent years: no pumas, no bobcats, no wolves to hunt them. The coyotes are starting to become more visible, but only because urban development is encroaching on their habitat.

DougR: I find it very telling that you say you would wish to OWN a caribou or a wolf. Very telling indeed. Not to pick on you, personally, but this is the sort of attitude which has got our planet into the state it is in.