“My survival instincts tell me that this is a bad idea.”
THIS project is not a search for sentient life, it would be a search for any kind of non-Earth based life. Odds are it would be quite simple life, and even if not, what would a sentient being from the destinations mentioned find of interest - beyond scientific curiosity - here? Our environment would be as inhospitable to them as theirs is to us. (If there is any doubt, just show ‘em vids of fires in CA.)
The other thing is, while other projects DO attempt to find sentient “alien” life, those target intelligent life in other star systems. Communication is a LONNNNGGGG way from physical contact. Barring something like warp technology (Star Trek) or jumpgates (Babylon 5), it’s very near impossible for aliens other than of virtual godlike characteristic to come here and harm us. If they ARE super advanced, or have relatively “easy” (for them) FTLT, they almost certainly already know we are here, and we better hope they are either benevolent or uninterested. Whether or not we try to find them is likely rather irrelevant to them.
I would add: Very little Sci-Fi is actually some sort of study of what alien life might be like. But exciting drama often needs danger to make it exciting.