Endangered Species Act
For more than 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has helped prevent the extinction of our nation's wildlife treasures including beloved symbols of America such as the bald eagle, the Florida manatee and the California condor.
Only nine of the more than 1800 plants and animals currently protected by the act worldwide have been declared extinct, an astonishing success rate.
The Endangered Species Act provides added benefits to people by maintaining healthy natural systems that provide us with clean air and water, food, medicines and other products that we all need to live healthy lives.
We owe it to our children and grandchildren to be good stewards of the environment and leave behind a legacy of protecting endangered species and the special places they call home.
Assault on Wildlife: The Endangered Species Act Under Attack
WASHINGTON (Sept. 1, 2011) – When members of Congress return next week, they could consider at least 13 different legislative proposals to undercut endangered species protections, according to a comprehensive report released today by Defenders of Wildlife. Assault on Wildlife: The Endangered Species Act under attack details current legislative attacks on America’s plants and animals and assesses how each one would eviscerate wildlife conservation efforts.
Death by 1,000 Cuts
Once again, some members of Congress are proposing legislation that will undermine our nation’s commitment to saving imperiled wildlife. However, instead of making wholesale changes to the Endangered Species Act itself, these anti-environment legislators are slowly chipping away at protections for particular species. Each bill would set a terrible precedent for rewriting the law whenever it’s politically convenient to do so.
Wolves
On April 14, 2011 Congress gave final approval for a budget deal that includes a non-budget provision to strip federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies. The provision requires the Secretary of the Interior to reinstate the same 2009 delisting rule that was declared unlawful by a federal district court, while insulating the provision from any legal challenge. This is the first time in the history of the Endangered Species Act that Congress has stripped protections for one particular species, putting politics before science in the conservation of America’s wildlife. Read our press release. >>
Delhi Sands flower-loving fly
Rep. Joe Baca of San Bernardino County, Calif., introduced a bill (H.R. 1042) on March 11 that would set an arbitrary expiration date of 15 years for protecting rare, hard-to-study endangered species. Efforts like this only make it easier for Congress to walk away from their stewardship responsibilities and gives developers a free pass to continue trampling on vital habitat for imperiled wildlife. Read our press release. >>
Salmon
Historically, California’s Bay Delta was home to some of the most bountiful salmon runs on the West Coast. The salmon fishing industry supported thousands of jobs and provided millions of dollars in revenue to the state’s economy. But as California’s population has soared and industrial scale agriculture has taken over the Central Valley, more and more water is being diverted from the rivers and streams that support the Bay Delta and the hundreds of species that call it home. Now, Congress wants to ignore expert scientists and siphon more water away from endangered salmon in order to satisfy the never-ending thirst of farms and cities in more arid parts of the state. Read our press release. >>
In the Pacific Northwest, salmon are facing a different challenge altogether. Here, the pesticide industry has successfully convinced the Environmental Protection Agency not to implement essential protections that prevent the poisoning of salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service has confirmed that many pesticides are causing unacceptable harm to endangered species, yet farmers continue to spray pesticides on their crops that end up right in the rivers and creek that salmon rely on for spawning and migration. Read our press release. >>
Fact Sheets
The Endangered Species Act prevents the use of harmful pesticides that threaten imperiled wildlife and human health.
ESA and Wolves Under AttackThe Endangered Species Act helped bring wolves back from the brink of extinction in the lower 48.
Economic Benefits of the ESAThe Endangered Species Act helps provide clean air and clean water and protect natural resources that are a boon to the economy.
The Endangered Species Act: Protecting People and Wildlife from Harmful PesticidesThe Endangered Species Act prevents the use of harmful pesticides that threaten imperiled wildlife and human health.
