8127

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 8127
• Author: Wydoski, R. S., D. A. Smith, K. M. Schreiner and J. E. Johnson.
• Title: 1977 Annual Conference Western Association of Game and Fish Commissioners and Western Division, American Fisheries Society Tuscon, Arizona.
• USFW Year: 1977.
• USFW - Doc Type: n.d.
• Copyright Material: YES

~

Recently, President Carter came out strongly in favor of the Act and
particularly in favor of Section 7 as it now stands. -This should do much
to convince Congress, Federal agencies, and the people of the United States
that this Administration views the Act as solid, desirable, and essential
environmental legislation, and that it does not intend to stand still while
somebody meddles with the Act in an attempt to weake~ it.

The Act is broad in scope; it reaches the far corners of the world; it
covers all of the life forms of the universe. It is too big for one small
Federal agency in one Department of our Government. Early on, it was
recognized that if this jOb is to be accomplished realistically, we will have
to enlist the help and support of everyone we can get. Congress recognized
this fact when they gave Federal agencies major responsibilities and a strong
mandate in Section 7. Congress recognized this fact again when they gave
State and territorial conservation agencies a big part of the action in
Section 6, and Congress recognized this fact again when they gave the people
the right to file a civil suit whenever they felt anyone wasn1t holding up
his part of the bargain. In short, the endangered species job is everyone's
job, and that is as it should be. .

Realistic administration of the Act at the Federal level means developing a
way to enlist all of the intense interests, people-power, dollars, professional
talents, and desires to help wild plants and animals into a unified and
coordinated "Iork force ,.tith a common set of objectives and goals-- all aimed
at effecting the recovery of endangered and threatened plants and animals.'

This may sound almost impossible, but I am convinced that it can be done,
and in fact is being done today.

There are in this country now 57 teams of experts developing and overseeing
recovery plans for 68 species of endangered and threatened animals. These
teams are composed of professionals and skilled laymen from Federal, State,
and private agencies. The four represent some of the most skilled talent
available in the United States. They are doing a job and doing it well. Of
course, there are problems, friction points, and differences of opinion, but
. by and large this work force is doing a tremendous job in a manner that
deserves the praise of everyone that really cares about wild plant and animal
conservation or the preservation of wild habitats. We all applaud the
endangered species recovery teams that are giving unstintingly of their time
and labors.

Now some bad ne\1S. It is sad but true that some species will become extinct
in spite of anything that can be-done. Even now the red wolf, the California ·
condor, the black-footed ferret, the Puerto Rican parrot, the Caribbean monk
seal, the ivory-billed woodpecker and others are either perilously close to
the edge of extinction, or they have already dropped over. I confess that
acknm'/ledging that a species is too far gone to recover is very hard for me to
do. Personally, I think it is equally hard for others-- either professionals
in the field or citizens of this country. Losing a species is a fate worse
than death. Yet, this issue m~st be faced squarely. To devote precious ti~e,
dollars, and muscie to a lost cause may have undue adverse influence on those
recovery ef~orts that have a real chance.

295

. .