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Utah entrepreneur Brandt Child planned to build a campground and
golf course on his property in Three Lakes. Neighbors in southern
Utah had long used the area for recreation, and the spot seemed
ideal for the planned improvements. The project, however, was
brought to a halt when the Fish and Wildlife Service declared
Mr. Child's pond to be a prime habitat for the endangered Kanab
ambersnail. The area was fenced off, people were no longer allowed
on the pond's banks, and Mr. Child was forbidden to work in the
area. He dutifully contacted the Fish and Wildlife Service to
report that a flock of domestic geese had taken up residence at his
pond. If the geese ate any snails, the owner of the geese could
face a $50,000 fine for each snail.
The Fish and Wildlife Service asked the Utah Department of Wildlife
and Resources to send someone to shoot the geese, remove their
stomachs and bring the contents to Salt Lake City so they could
determine how many snails had been eaten. But when a state wildlife
agent and a highway patrolman arrived and saw newsmen and
photographers, they opted not to shoot the geese, claiming they did
not have the jurisdiction. Later, the Fish and Wildlife Service
induced vomiting in the animals, and it was determined that they
had not consumed any snails. Today, the geese are living happily
elsewhere and the snail population is soaring in the pond—but
Mr. Child has never been compensated for his estimated $2.5 million
loss.
†