Because I have mentioned it so many times in my previous posts I thought I would take this opportunity to explain one of the biggest victories for wildlife that has happened in the last 100 years. What exactly am I talking about? If you have read my previous posts you probably got it right, the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA started to take shape in 1966 when the US government started to officially set aside money to help endangered species and habitats. Over the next 7 years it evolved into what it is today. The ESA as we know it today was signed into action on December 28th 1973 by Richard Nixon. Possible interesting side note: Nixon was born in Yorba Linda, the same city I was born and raised. The act came about because of the inadequate protection afforded to the wildlife in the United States. As the nation was growing, it started encroaching on many of the native wildlife’s natural habitat. In a rare act of cooperation, scientist and politicians united in an effort to protect wildlife from “economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation” and in a larger picture it was also meant to protect “the ecosystems upon which they depend.” In other words, the goal of the ESA is to prevent the extinction of vulnerable plants and animals and to help maintain the existing populations by removing or lessening threats to their survival. The ESA is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Services and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There are two ways a species can make it onto the ESA list. The first option is goes through one of the two administrations running the program. These administrations require that the species meet one of the following 5 requirements to be listed on the ESA:
1. There is the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range
2. An over utilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes.
3. The species is declining due to disease or predation.
4. There is an inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms.
5. There are other natural or man made factors affecting its continued existence.
The second option is for the public (individual or organization) to create a compelling petition to get a species on the list. Here is a simple break down of the steps:
- The petition presents the situation where a species is in peril a 90 screening begins
- If the information is substantial a official review is started that will last at least 12 months
- If the evidence still shows that the species needs protection a final 12 month period of review is initiated and at the end of the final 12 months a final decision is reached.
Now this 2 year and 3 month process represents the fastest a species can be listed, usually, it takes much longer because of different regulations and process that I will not go into for this article. The latest change to the ESA occurred this year as President Obama singed the Department of Defense and Full-Year Appropriations Act of 2011. This bill had a rider attached to it that gave permission for the grey wolf of the Rocky Mountains to be delisted from the ESA. This represents the first time a species has been delisted without science backing it up and could possibly set a disturbing precedent that could further hamper the recovery of other species. On a more positive note, here are some statistics about the ESA that are more uplifting. Since the inception of the ESA 22 species have been taken off the list due to a healthy recovery. As I am writing this there are currently 587 animals and 795 plans listed in the US under the ESA for a grand total of 1382. Of those 1382, 1136 or them have a recovery plan in place to help increase the species numbers and improve survival rates. If you want to learn more about the Endangered Species Act feel free to click on the links below. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask!
WOLF DEFENDERS 
Good work, Josh. I really liked the PBS video I saw on your site about the conflict between ranchers and wolves. I was so impressed with the Montana ranchers who are herding their cattle like buffalo inside wired fences, moving the fences every day. They protect their cattle and keep wolves away without destroying them. What can we do to encourage them and ranchers like them?
Good question Monica, there are many ways to help. 1) Spread the awareness by being a wolf advocate and letting people know the true facts about wolves and ranchers (Fact: Pet dogs have killed more cattle than wolves in 2010, should we be killing all pets too?) 2) Donate to Defenders of Wildlife at defenders.org, they are the leading wolf conservation group in the US and probably the world and they fund programs that educate ranchers on the facts about wolves and how to use non lethal methods to protect their livestock. 3) On a more personal note, I have a donation page set up where 100% of donation will go into purchasing a GPS collar for a sponsored wolf to help scientist learn better ways to help wolves and humans coexist in peace. The link to my donation page is http://www.gofundme.com/8lmh0. Hope that helps!
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