7. Saving Our Birds

This article, written on the 100-year aniversary of the passing of the last passenger pigeon, reviews te history and possible future of how human interaction and wildlife extinction connect. Author John Fitzpatrick begins by explaining how the passenger pigeon, once a species containing billions, now does not exist. In the 1800s, people began mass hunting of this species, which migrated together in enormous flocks that could black out the sky. Eventually, all existing species were in captivity, and, in 1914, the last passenger pigeon, Martha, died. Efforts to preserve species today have thus increased, and the "State of Birds" is focused on studying the health of bird species around the globe. Also, the "Endangered Species Act" was passed, to ensure the investment of human resources on the protection of endangered species. The success of these calls to responsibility can be seen in the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle, no longer species at risk of extinction. The death of Martha the passenger pigeon can therefore be seen both as a warning to take care of species in extinction and, now, as a symbol of hope for the success already achieved. Preservation of species is possible, if enough effort is put into it.
John Fitzpatrick's article utilizes an arsenal of complex language in his article, which adds to his credibility, but can also make the piece difficult to understand at times, especially as he jumps back and forth between past and present. He makes good use of statistics from reliable sources, and even includes an infographic in the article. He manages to balance fact and opinion, but sometimes the afore mentioned complexity makes it hard to determine which he is making use of. One major problem with the piece is that Fitzpatrick tries often to cram too many semi-relevant observations into the article, which not only makes it unnecessarily lengthy, but also hinders the overall flow of the piece. Overall, the author managed to deliver his message, though at the cost of possibly losing his readers' interest or limiting rather than increasing their understanding of the situation.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/31/opinion/sunday/saving-our-birds.html?_r=1