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.

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