“If you have coyotes or other wildlife, they really have to work on it for a long time to even think about getting through. A pet door allows the pets to come back inside should something outside the fence scare them.”

“[Myers and Jeff Williams, another USGS scientist, noted that the lake already is polluted. Still, it is a critical estuary that supports important fisheries and wildlife habitat.] Clearly, there is cause for concern ... How much of a negative impact ... we are not in a position to say.”

“A whole series of tests will occur. The Fish and Wildlife Service is coordinating with the Department of Agriculture, with surveillance activities through the fall to collect samples from birds taken during banding to hunter- harvested birds. It will be a very comprehensive testing program.”

“I've met all kinds of people from all walks of life and seen the dedication and the passion that they have for our outdoors, the resource program, our wildlife. I've met some great people and I've made a lot of friends.”

“This is a foliated area now and by making ball fields, you clear that away and there will be significant erosion, ... It's on the (Red) river and when it floods, as it regularly does, the fields will be part of the river. This will negatively impact the beautiful wildlife and our quiet neighborhoods.”

“Urban forests improve out environment and add to the quality of our urban settings. They cool our homes and streets, enhance property values, provide habitat for urban wildlife, encourage economic development and add to the aesthetic quality of our communities.”

“We wanted this property because we wanted to preserve the wooded area, because we wanted to preserve the vegetation and because we wanted to preserve the wildlife. What is it going to do to it if we build this? What kind of equipment will be going back there?”

“I was just so proud of our game wardens that work for Texas Parks and Wildlife who stepped up and went to another community and did what part they could to save lives, ... It speaks well of the caliber of men and women out there.”

“Things like these don't come into existence easy, and they don't come into existence just because of the DNR. It takes a complete team effort. It's not just the state legislature and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Congress through the Pittman-Robertson Act.”

“Degradation is a continuum, ... In virtually every ecosystem we visited, humans have colonized the landscape. Very few places are wild. The places to find wildlife are in protected areas. This is a good indicator of how deeply human species has penetrated the continent.”