After helping prevent extinctions for 50 years, the Endangered Species Act itself may be in peril

[2naSalit]

6. Keeping the ESA intact is crucial...

People need to get this and never let go of the concept. It is what has helped to keep us from seeing the climate issues we see today from happening decades ago.

We are beyond the tipping point with so many biospheric declines that we are endangered ourselves, though the planet could do with a loss of a good 50% of our species. I don't say that to be cruel, it's fact.

The ESA is my gig, I have taken specific courses about it and given countless presentations on the Act and species protected by it. The Act has been under political attack for at least the last forty years that I can recall and it has been altered, sometimes not for good, numerous times.


The Endangered Species Act is the first actionable attempt, in this country, of our species to recognize and protect other species that are suffering the threat of extinction mostly due to human activity. If is one of the most important regulations we have in this country regarding our chances at not polluting ourselves into extinction too. Habitat loss due to human activity is the number one threat to species listed as threatened or endangered.

When I used to give talks I often began by asking my audience if they have ever heard of the Act, all raise hands. Then I ask who knows what it says, all but maybe two out of sometimes a couple hundred, hands drop.

So I give a one minute primer.

Essentially the Act has three mandates:

1. Identification - We have, under this Act, as a people, agreed to identify species, flora and fauna, who are threatened with extinction using the best available science to determine their identity and status in order to protect them from extinction.

2. Critical Habitat - We have, under this Act, as a people, agreed to identify and assign habitat in which such identified species can thrive without human assistance. Such Critical habitat is to be protected in concert with the identified species.

3. Recovery - We have, under this Act, as a people, agreed to develop recovery plans, using the best available science, to protect identified species and their habitat by engaging in recovery actions when necessary and possible to assist in retention of species in habitat they were removed from by human activity. (Like the grey wolves returned to the US Rocky Mountain region for ONE example.)

All of this is to be conducted using the best available science and any dispute is to be resolved in federal court. The Act is all of 45 pages long and much of the first couple pages is definition of terms. Everyone should review it, it is one of the more important Acts of the 20th century.

Big money and developers usually litigate the Critical Habitat portion but the Chapter 4, sec. 10(j) has been changed so many times I have lost count. It is the part that defines just who can kill (and how) a protected plant or animal without legal consequence.

All Congress critters but one Senator from my state are trying to kill this important law, please help us keep it intact.