Sunday, September 09, 2012

Spider More Important Than 80,000 Commuters

 
 
This spider is more important than you, and 79,999 other folks

SAN ANTONIO - An endangered species of spider not seen in more than three decades unexpectedly appeared in northwest San Antonio two weeks ago, showing up in the middle of a $15.1 million highway underpass project.
 
 http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Rare-spider-halts-San-Antonio-road-project-3848991.php

A biologist discovered the eyeless spider, called the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver, after rain exposed a 6-foot-deep natural hole in a highway median at Texas 151 and Loop 1604.

About 80,000 vehicles a day traveled this intersection in 2010, according to TxDOT. For drivers, the spider could mean big delays in the completion of the underpass.

Now, both federal agencies will re-evaluate the project until they can agree on a plan that doesn't disturb any spiders potentially living in the area, or the habitat where the creatures might be bedding down.

Wowzers. We must not disturb the spiders, especially where they are taking a nap. Somebody needs to tell these nimrods that the rest of civilization simply steps on these things when they show up.

Two federal agencies will re-evaluate the project. If ever there was a shining example of  our dysfunctional federal government wasting time and money, this is it.

Two federal agencies. Man, if ever there was a reason to eliminate two federal agencies, this is it.

It's no wonder we are in decline.
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2 comments:

texlahoma said...

I'm just an ignorant taxpayer, but maybe they should capture it and move it to a zoo.

Astrosmith said...

So no one had seen one of these guys for 30 years, yet they are still around, despite living through the construction of the highways and all the traffic on the roads in those years. Doesn't this tell us that the damn spiders are a little more resilient than we think?

A few years ago, they were expanding a shopping center in town, building on a field that had been home to a prairie dog colony. For a few weeks, there were protestors at the site, whining about the damn prarie dogs!

What did the prairie dogs do? They moved. They're not stupid, they heard, felt, and saw the construction equipment, and freaking moved to other empty fields.