But the flak he received was not while flying over Iraq, but about a mid-June trip to the Galapagos Islands, 620 miles into the Pacific Ocean from Ecuador. Al Kamen, “In the Loop” columnist for the Washington Post, ridiculed the excursion. He wrote about the trip in a sarcastic tourist travelogue style, declaring taxpayers would foot the bill for six members of Congress and four of their spouses. Spouses, however, paid their way. Kamen did not quote Baird, who was leading the tour. If he had, he would have received an earful.

Rep. Baird, elected to Congress in 1998, and facing re-election this year, said it was a necessary trip to look into scientific research on climate change and global warming. “It was not a frivolity.” Baird is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education of the Committee on Science and Technology. The committee has oversight of the National Science Foundation, which is involved in Galapagos research.

Baird maintains there is no substitute for being on the site of research to learn what is being done about the problems of global warming, and effects of natural phenomena such as El Niño. “You can’t learn about this just by reading scientific papers or in a telephone conversation.”

Another harmful factor is ocean acidification. Science magazine reports higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere has warmed the oceans and created a chemical mixture producing carbonic acid. The result is a reduction in calcification of marine organisms that build coral reefs. Julian Smith wrote in U.S. News and World Report in May that rising temperatures kill the “symbiotic algae” that sustain coral by living inside it. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could be a victim.

“I really believe the more I look at the evidence that we are going to lose most, if not all, coral reefs in the next 50 years,” Baird said.

Another study will focus on the effect of fertilizer runoff from farms into the sea. U.S. News’ Smith, writing under the headline “Endangered Destinations,” noted pollution, changing weather patterns, development and hordes of people threaten many destinations. Mount Kilimanjaro’s glaciers are melting in Africa, as is the ice in Glacier National Park in Montana.

The ideal laboratory

The perfect place, nearly unique on Earth, is the Galapagos Islands, an archipelago consisting of 13 large islands and more than 100 small islands, islets and rocks which were formed by underwater volcanoes a few million years ago. This is the place Charles Darwin visited in 1835, conceiving the theory of evolution by natural selection. “On the Origin of The Species” was released in 1859.

“It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of the Galapagos as a scientific and natural treasure. These islands hold untold volumes of information on unique species and evolutionary processes,” according to the World Wildlife Fund, whose goal is to “protect the future of nature.” The organization works in 100 countries and has a global membership of nearly 5 million.

Election year or not, there’s no time to waste if Congress is to take regulatory action or fund research, Baird notes. He has co-authored major legislation backing research into ocean acidification and invasive species.

The Galapagos Islands, declared a World Heritage site in 1978, could get surveillance help from a Columbia River Gorge industry. Baird said he talked to the Galapagos National Park director about using an unmanned aerial vehicle made in Bingen.

While some may scoff at global warming and ignore climate shifts that flood out the Midwest, it’s good to monitor changes to our planet. Baird is learning about the threats to our world and can help do something about them.

Those who doubt his work in this area will have a chance to ask him about it during his public campaign appearances for re-election.

The mere survival of the planet can probably fit somewhere on the list of issues that includes the economy, high price of gasoline, new Columbia River bridge and the war in Iraq.

Tom Koenninger is editor emeritus of The Columbian. His column of personal opinion appears on the Other Opinions page each Wednesday. Reach him at tom.koenninger@columbian.com.