WSP07044

• File Number: 8065
• Description: Section D General Statewide Issues - Endangered Species Act - Fisheries
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 1/1/3000
• Author: Michael J Bean
• Title: The Endangered Species Act - Two Decades of Conserving our Most Imperiled Species
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
Two Decades of Conserving Our Most Imperiled Species
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By Michael J Be4n. EDF arrDme}' and Wildlife Program
Director. and authof 0/ 'The Evolution of National
Wildlifeuw.

The year 19<J3 nurksd
of me Endangered Sp
of thi~ bw was ~impJc.. 10
~om('times (cmurics) of
thai had pushoo nuny of,
pI.

The Act has helped pul many species
back on the road 10 recovery.

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sht.
ha~ .Hucn
pmgrcs\, but much
more- n:m.uns 10 be
accomplished. A
conllnued Ilrong
Endangered Species
Au is cHcnlial if
we .HC 10 preserve
our unil.juc naluu.l hC'riugc for (lur chil-
drl"n and our ,hildrcns children.

MichealBean

.

Five Key Facts About the Act

1 The Endangered Species Act serves vital
human needs.

Some people seem 10 think th.lt the En-
dangered Species Ad pUIS the intrrc~t.
and wdf<HC of planu and animals ahead of
hwnafi!i.. Ir due.n't. Rather, rhe An recognlJe:.
that long-term humAn needs-for new
ml-dicines, improved .l.griculrunl produ.-tion,
healrhy ecosysrems, and .l.n cnio~'abl(' and
productive cnvironmenr-un best bc lTlet
if we don't destroy thc fJbulous dl\'crsitv
of life wirh which 'we sh.ut' our world. Th~
EndlOgcm.l Spccil"S NI rrie. to put into pldC"
rice what me pionecnng c<mM"f\'3uoniSt, AIJo
Leopold, prescribed as rhe Mflrsr prt'c.l.uri<>n
of intelligent rinkeringM-ro keep every
cog and whcd in rhe ITlAchinery of lili.-..

cvery Slale can .t'e and enjoy
Jmc of the Act.s nunv conser-
sses. Our nallon's s~'~lbol. rhc
though Hill cndangered in
United SrAte" a mJking a
neback.. And there arc more

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A M~xlCil/l .wI! pup
whooping uant's. morl;' California sea
ottt'rs, more percgrJnc falcons. more
Aleutian Can.ld.l ge-e-se. more brown peli-
cans, and more American alligawu alive
today in tht' United States rhan .H any
time in rhe past t.....o decades. ,\lost of
thcse species are still protected by rhe
EndJngemJ Spn-ies j\(I, but they .l.nd m.lOY
others arc .....dl on the road ro recove-ry.

3 The Acfs many successes have been
achieved with lew major conflicts.

\\'hAt is mosr surprising about thc EndAn-
gcred Spe.:ics An is nUl ho..... mmy mJjor
wnllins it h.n spJ.....ned. but ho..... few.
Alrhough the Act hH been in place for
tWenr~' ~'ears Jnd no.....
protecr~ morc rhan
700 spe..:ie, 01 plAnts
and .l.nim.als, effons to
prOled mo,t of them
has't' never (Ceated 'lg-
mtlc<lm.:onrros'erslrs.
Thousands of Fed.
eral JnJ h-dt'rall~' per-
mitted projects ar~
~crutiniud C';Ich \"Car
for their impa(f~ on
endanger~J species.
Fes\er th.tn I in 1000
of th~se CJnnot be
altered or modillrd 10
r...duce th~lr Impacts 10

The AmeflCJft alllgalors rOCOI't'fJoI$ one Of me Acts fIlJ!cr sucres.~ SI:Jfil'S

acceptaole len'ls. A ft"..... controversies, like
that im'olvmg thc Northern Spofled Owl

. A de~eloper faced ii gre<Jler chance or ha~mg an
airplane crash mlo somemrng he bUill man havrng a
PIOJecl stopped ~f me EnaJngered Species Act .
-John C. Sawhill. Presidenl.
lhe NiJtufe Conserrancy

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and timber huvesung in what lirtlc
remains of rhe allcicnr foreHs of the
Pacitlc Northwest. capture headlines, bur
thC'}' really rrpresent thC' r;lr~ exception
rather than thc rule under the Endangered
Spe(-icsAct.

4 The Act has succeeded because ilisflexi-
ble and sensitive 10 economic concems.

Tht" porrraj'J1 of the Act as rigid and inca-
pAble of accommodating competing social
concerns is simpl}' wrong. The Act rC'quires
lhar critic.l.1 habiw dt"signations be based
in part on economic considerations.. ""'hen
projects threaten end.lOgcrcd sp.:cies. Ihe Act
re'-juires that reasonable and prudl'm .liter..
natives be pursued thaI allow the project
purp(l~t's 10 be fulllllc-d withour jt'opardiz-
ing the species' survival. Through the
mc-chJnism of hAbirJt conservation pl.1n-
ning, rhe Act suis'es to find a bal.1nce
oetween dcvelopmt'flI plans ,1Od species
const'[\'ation net'ds. In thr rHe caSe when
truly irreconcilable cunfli"s exist, the Act
can exempt projecrs from species protec.
\Jon requirements.

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5 The Acl's successes could be expanded
withonry modesltunding incfeases.

The core budget of the U.S.. Fish and
\\'ildlife Service's end.mgcred .pecics rro~
gram is abour 5,\6 million. .1 minu~cule
frolcejon of the IOtAI Federal budge!. For
.....hJr residenrs of the nations capical spend
on pizz" .It juS! one chain c::ach year. the
budget-and. I rhink it is far to SAy. the
Acr's ~Ui:cesses-<ould bt' doubled.

Cmics of the EndAngefl-d Species Act
seck co prt'\'enr il~ reAulhonzation and ro
weaken protectIOn of rhe nAtion's most
imperiled wildlift'. People all across
American can help cOumer that dfon
through lencrs to rhe new Admimstrollion,
to membt'rs of Congress. and 10 locdl news-
papers, registering: ;heir ~tmng support for
n:new1flg the nation's commitmefll to en..
dang:ercJ 'pecl1.-,.

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