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

[LeftInTX]

11. Thanks for the synopsis!

We had a highway interchange rebuilt not far from my home
During excavation, they discovered a new species of a blind cave spider: Bracken Cave Meshweaver

I believe only one spider was discovered.

Everything came to a halt.
A conversation plan was developed and the interchange ballooned in cost from $14 million to $44 million

After about five years, (the interchange was already completed ) and DNA studies, it was determined that the Bracken Cave spider was actually another endangered cave spider, the Madla Cave Meshweaver

(I live near lots of sink holes and aquifer recharge and I guess they're caves, but they're more sink holes than living caves)

Anyway the Madla Meshweaver is found about five miles away, so they didn't think the new spider was the Madla Meshweaver because I think the geology doesn't show the "caves" as connected or something like that.

Anyway the Bracken Cave spider was removed from the ESA because it was actually a Madla Cave Spider


Oh boy!
The media messed it up and just said the "Spider was removed from the ESA"..
However, the media didn't do a good job of explaining it.

The explanation was too complicated for the media.

Conservatives are still in an uproar and they poke fun of the project
They complain about how much it cost and how it was for a spider which wasn't on the ESL.

Here is the delisting from FWS: https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/7900

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A San Antonio highway project stalled for two years after discovery of an endangered spider is about to start moving forward again with a new design.

An underpass originally planned is being replaced with an overpass to accommodate the spider known as the Braken Bat Cave meshweaver.

The San Antonio Express-News reports the price tag for the overpass will balloon to $44 million, nearly three times the original cost.

https://tylerpaper.com/news/texas/san-antonio-highway-redesign-accommodates-endangered-spider/article_fcc1ce5f-3620-5b79-8ca6-1e2490df59f3.html

This all happened during the Obama administration, so it also gives conservatives more fodder. However, the meshweaver that was discovered was endangered and deserved protection.