8150

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8150
• Author: Wydoski, R. S.
• Title: Realistic Management of Endangered Species--An Overview.
• USFW Year: 1977.
• USFW - Doc Type: \
• Copyright Material: NO

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of the natural and rural environments, as well as urban ones. Because of
this increasing environmental awareness, people, either as individuals
or as members of voluntary associations, will become more involved in the
public policy decisions and administration in the future.
One result of this environmental or ecological awareness has been a
growing concern for species that face extinction because of the activities
of man (Miller, 1963; Behnke, 1968; Minckley and Deacon, 1968; Fischer,
et al., 1969; Udall, 1970; Reiger, 1977; Myers, 1977). The red book of
endangered wildlife was first published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service in 1964. The federal government acknowledged a national respon-
sibility to save native species of wildlife that were threatened with
extinction by the enacting of the Endangered Species Preservation Act of
1966. This Act was basically amended into the Endangered Species Conser-
vation Act of 1969, which broadened the scope of the federal government to
preserve and manage endangered species--largely because of increased
public interest (Schreiner and Ruhr, 1974).
The current Endangered Species Act of 1973 (U.S. 93rd Congress, 1973)
has been the most significant legislation enacted that is concerned with
the management of endangered species. Four significant changes or addi-
tions to the 1973 Act are made in Sections 4, 6, 7, and 9.
Section 4 provides for the listing of threatened species so that steps
can be taken to forestall their later advancement to the "endangered" list.
Section 6 calls for cooperation with the states in the conservation of any
threatened or endangered species. It also allows for cooperative agreements
between the Secretary of the Interior and the states for an active program
to manage such species, and provides federal assistance to the states for
such a program. Section 7 states that all federal agencies shall "...insure
that actions authorized, funded, or carried out by them do not jeopardize
the continued existence of such endangered species and threatened species
or result in the destruction or modification of habitat of such species..."
Section 9 prohibits the taking of listed species without proper federal
and state collectors permits. "Taking" is defined broadly to include
activities from harrassment to capture. From a realistic standpoint, the
term "harassment" probably should be amended to state "purposeful harass-
ment." As the law now stands, a recreationist who is rafting down the
Colorado or Green Rivers would be harrassing the Colorado sguawfish
(Ptychocheilus lucius) and be in violation of the section.
Section 7 will have the greatest impact on federal water development
projects. Worthington (1977) reviewed the history of opposition by con-
cerned citizens to the Tellico Dam site, on the Little Tennessee River.
She pointed out that, after a long, bitter battle against the dam, a citizen's
group (Tennessee Endangered Species Committee) was able to halt construction
of the nearly (90%) completed dam, largely because an endangered 3-inch darter
(family Percidae) would be adversely affected if the dam was completed. The
Tellico project will remain inactive until the Department of the Interior
decides to remove the darter from its endangered species list or Congress
acts to exempt the project from the Act. Worthington pointed out, however,
that the future strength of the Endangered Species Act could be jeopardized
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