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野生动物不能投票,但它们却出现在选票上Wild Animals Can’t Vote. Here’s Where They’re on the Ballot Anyway.

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一个夏日清晨,一名飞蝇钓者徒步前往科罗拉多州西北部弗拉特托普斯荒野区的特拉珀斯湖。卡伦·德雅尔丹供图,盖蒂图片社A fly fisherman hikes toward Trappers Lake in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area of northwestern Colorado on a summer morning. Karen Desjardin via Getty

当数百万选民在11月填写选票时,他们将不仅仅是选择民选代表。许多州还提供了通过投票措施来影响保护和野生动物的机会,这些措施侧重于为栖息地保护投入更多资金或减轻气候变化的影响。其中一项措施甚至可能重塑美国风景最美的山区之一的野生动物管理——同时也可能导致各种野生动物的无差别死亡。

When millions of voters fill out their ballots in November, they won’t just be choosing elected representatives. Many states are offering the chance to impact conservation and wildlife as well, through ballot measures focused on things like dedicating more money to habitat protection or mitigating the impacts of climate change. One could even reshape wildlife management in one of the country’s most picturesque mountain states—and also lead to the indiscriminate deaths of all kinds of wild animals.

虽然投票措施在宏大的选举政治格局中可能显得微不足道,但它们今年可能会产生巨大的影响。特朗普政府一直在系统性地撤销对濒危物种的保护,大肆破坏长期的气候监管支柱,并削减国家公园管理局和国家森林局等机构的资金,这两个机构都负责管理大片野生动物栖息地。在许多情况下,各州不得不挺身而出,投入更多资源来保护其境内的栖息地和物种,而投票措施可以帮助塑造这些决定。

And while ballot measures might seem like small potatoes in the grand scheme of electoral politics, they could have an outsized impact this year. The Trump administration has been systematically rolling back protections for endangered species, taking a hammer to longstanding pillars of climate regulation, and cutting funding to agencies like the National Park Service and National Forest Service, both of which oversee vast stretches of wildlife habitats. In many cases, states have had to step up, putting more resources into conserving the habitats and species within their borders, and ballot measures can help shape those decisions.

以下是可能改变全国生态系统的七项投票措施:加利福尼亚州——第45号提案:削减烦人的环境审查,也可能削减栖息地。这项投票措施将缩短“关键项目”,如住房、供水系统、清洁能源和医疗设施等项目的环境审查周期。在这个一直努力快速建设所需设施的州,这可能有助于加速有助于减缓气候变化的清洁能源项目。

Here are the seven ballot measures that could transform ecosystems across the country this election: California — Proposition 45: Cutting pesky environmental reviews, also maybe cutting habitats This ballot measure would shorten environmental review periods for “essential projects” like housing, water systems, clean energy, and medical facilities, among others. In a state that’s been struggling to build what it needs fast enough, this could help speed essential clean energy projects that could help slow climate change.

另一方面,正如该提案所做的那样,缩短《加州环境质量法》的审查时间,也可能导致栖息地破坏加剧,促使像塞拉俱乐部这样的倡导组织反对它。

On the other hand, reducing California Environmental Quality Act review time, as this proposition would do, could also lead to increased habitat destruction, leading advocacy organizations like the Sierra Club to oppose it.

佐治亚州——第一号修正案:保护用地的税收减免(或许)这项修正案可能看起来有些冷门——而且主要是为了照顾寻求税收减免的农民和牧场主。但它将把土地所有者在该州“保护用途估值评估”项目下保护土地所能获得税收减免的土地面积上限翻倍(从2000英亩提高到4000英亩)。正如佐治亚大学森林经济学副教授李彦舒(音)告诉我的那样,这项修正案可以激励土地所有者留出更大面积的土地用于野生动物栖息地保护,这将惠及九带犰狳和北方山齿鹑等以这些栖息地为家的物种。

Georgia — Amendment 1: Tax breaks for conservation land (maybe) This amendment might seem a little in the weeds—and mostly in the interest of farmers and ranchers looking for tax breaks. But it would double (from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres) the amount of land an owner can get tax breaks from if they protect it under the state’s Conservation Use Valuation Assessment program. As Yanshu Li, an Associate Professor of Forest Economics at the University of Georgia, told me, the amendment could incentivize landowners to set aside larger tracts of their property for wildlife habitat conservation, which would benefit species like the nine-banded armadillo and the northern bobwhite quail that call these habitats home.

马萨诸塞州——第六号问题:自然基金第六号问题将设立一个“人人享有自然基金”,把现有的体育用品税、休闲车辆税以及高尔夫球场消费税收拨入保护用途。该基金随后可用于自然资源保护,这将使该州首次拥有专门用于保护项目的资金来源。

Massachusetts — Question 6: A fund for nature Question 6 would create a “Nature for All Fund,” routing existing taxes on sporting goods, recreational vehicles, and money spent at golf courses to conservation. That fund could then be used on natural resource conservation, making it the first time the state has a dedicated funding source for conservation projects.

科罗拉多州——第137号提案:为生态修复和野火预防提供更多资金这项提案与马萨诸塞州的类似,将把现有的体育用品销售税拨入一个专门用于保护和野火预防的州基金。在这个过去十年间野火烧毁超过200万英亩土地的州,数十个保护组织正在支持这项措施,以保护栖息地和物种。

Colorado — Proposition 137: More money for restoration and wildfire prevention This proposition, similar to Massachusetts’, would direct existing sales taxes on sporting goods to a state fund dedicated to conservation and wildfire prevention. In a state where wildfires have torn through more than 2 million acres in the past decade, dozens of conservation groups are supporting this measure to protect habitats and species.

阿肯色州——第四号议题:水利设施与水道在这里,选民被要求批准最多5亿美元的债券,这些债券可用于资助与水相关的基础设施项目,如水处理、废物处置和湿地基础设施。阿肯色州提案中对湿地的推动可能有助于生活在这些栖息地的动物,而这类栖息地在该地区往往被忽视。

Arkansas — Issue 4: Waterworks and waterways Here, voters are being asked to approve up to $500 million in bonds that can be used to fund water-related infrastructure projects like water treatment, waste disposal, and wetlands infrastructure. A boost to wetlands under the Arkansas proposal could help animals that live in those habitats, which are often overlooked in this region.

罗德岛州——第5题:为气候韧性和栖息地保护提供新资金。这项措施将允许发行5500万美元债券,用于资助环境和休闲项目。其中最大的一笔——2500万美元——将用于帮助保护该州免受气候变化的影响。另有700万美元将用于保护纳拉甘西特湾及其流域,据《罗德岛当前报》报道,这将包括用于“恢复自然栖息地并控制入侵性水生植物”的资金。

Rhode Island — Question 5: New money for climate resilience and habitat protection This measure would allow for $55 million in bonds to fund environmental and recreational projects. The largest chunk of this change—$25 million—would go to helping to protect the state from the impacts of climate change. Another $7 would be devoted to protecting Narragansett Bay and its watersheds, which would include funding to “restore natural habitats and control invasive aquatic plants,” according to the Rhode Island Current.

到目前为止,这些公投措施都相对直截了当,但今年秋天有一项交由选民决定的问题将野生动物推到了聚光灯下——并且沿着一条伦理中线,让猎人和垂钓者分裂成两派。这把我们带回到科罗拉多州:科罗拉多州——第83号修正案:传统意义上的狩猎宪法权利。表面上看,这项修正案似乎相当无害。它要求选民将“以传统方式狩猎、捕鱼以及捕获鱼类和野生动物的权利”写入该州宪法。

These ballot measures are all relatively straightforward so far, but there’s one question up to voters this fall that puts wild animals front-and-center—and is splitting hunters and anglers down an ethical centerline. Which takes us back to Colorado: Colorado — Amendment 83: A constitutional right to hunt…traditionally On its surface, this amendment seems fairly innocuous. It asks voters to enshrine “the right to hunt, fish, and harvest fish and wildlife by traditional methods” in the state’s constitution.

狩猎和捕鱼在科罗拉多州已经很盛行,并且受到法规保护,所以这看起来可能不算重大变化。但是,正如科罗拉多州立大学动物-人类政策中心联合主任、科罗拉多州公园与野生动物委员会委员丽贝卡·涅米克以个人身份告诉我的那样,无论是法案文本还是其支持者,都没有界定这项修正案将允许哪些“传统方式”的狩猎和捕鱼。

Hunting and fishing are already big in Colorado, and they’re protected by statute, so this may not seem like a major change. But, as Rebecca Niemiec, co-director of Colorado State University’s Animal-Human Policy Center and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife commissioner, speaking for herself, told me, neither the text of the bill nor its proponents define what “traditional methods” of hunting and fishing would be allowed under this amendment.

涅米克说:“如果按字面理解,传统方法可以被解读为包括投毒、捕兽夹、刺网或诱饵和猎犬等手段。”其中许多做法会伤害或致残动物,包括并非目标的动物:钢颚夹和毒药不会区分鹿、狼和猞猁。多年来,所有这些做法在科罗拉多州都已被禁止,或是通过其他投票措施,或是通过监管改革;例如,1992年科罗拉多人投票禁止使用诱饵和猎犬猎熊,四年后又禁止了捕兽夹和圈套。

“Read plainly, traditional methods could be interpreted to include practices like poisoning, leg hold traps, gill nets, or baiting and hounding,” Niemiec said. Many of these practices injure or maim animals, including ones that aren’t targeted: Steel-jawed traps and poisons don’t discriminate between, say, a deer, a wolf, and a lynx. All of these practices have been outlawed in Colorado over the years, either through other ballot measures or regulatory changes; in 1992, for example, Coloradans voted to ban hunting bears using bait and hounds, and four years later they banned leg-hold traps and snares.

新修正案还进一步提出:“将狩猎和捕鱼确立为管理鱼类和野生动物种群的优先手段。”这将大大压缩科罗拉多公园和野生动物管理局等野生动物机构做出细致决策或推出节育、动物迁移等替代方案的空间。这也削弱了它们考虑那些出于狩猎以外原因珍视野生动物的人们的偏好的能力。

The new amendment also continues on to propose: “establishing hunting and fishing as the preferred means of managing fish and wildlife populations.”This would leave far less room for wildlife agencies like CPW to make nuanced decisions or roll out alternative programs, like birth control or animal relocation. It also reduces their ability to take into account the preferences of people who value wildlife for reasons other than hunting.

涅米克说:“生物科学可以为在不威胁种群的前提下能杀死多少动物提供决策依据,但它无法告诉我们哪些狩猎做法是合乎道德的,也无法告诉我们如何平衡狩猎机会与公众希望看到野生动物存活并免受不必要痛苦愿望之间的关系。”涅米克告诉我,推动这些宪法保护措施,是针对保护团体的一股更大反弹浪潮的一部分。但在本案中,事情并不像猎人対非猎人那么简单:许多猎人和垂钓者支持在决定如何管理野生动物时考虑道德因素,科罗拉多州的一些狩猎团体已公开表态反对该修正案。

“Biological science can inform decisions about how many animals can be killed without threatening a population,” Niemiec said. “But it can’t tell us what hunting practices are ethical, or how to balance hunting opportunities with the public’s desire to see wildlife alive—and protected from unnecessary suffering.”The push for these constitutional protections, Niemiec told me, is part of a larger backlash against conservation groups. But in this case, it’s not as simple as hunter vs. non-hunter: Plenty of hunters and anglers support taking ethical considerations into account when making decisions about how to manage wildlife, and some hunting groups in Colorado have publicly spoken out against the amendment.

涅米克说:“如果我们要把任何内容写入宪法,那就应该写明,我们在所有管理决策中都应平衡野生动物方面公共利益的多样性。如果我们要应对本州乃至全国野生动物今后面临的复杂挑战,就需要创新的方法,而不是传统的方法。”

“If we’re going to enshrine anything in the Constitution, it should say we should be balancing the diversity of public interest in wildlife in all of our management decisions,” Niemiec said. “We need innovative methods, not traditional methods, if we’re going to deal with the complex challenges that our wildlife is facing moving forward in the state and throughout the country.”

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