Looking at the Endangered Species Act after 50 Years
2023-12-28
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1The Endangered Species Act had widespread support when President Richard Nixon signed it into law late in 1973.
2In the 50 years since, the effects of the legislation have been both successful and complex.
3Most Americans celebrated the law that helped save animals such as the bald eagle and bison.
4But when the law stood in the way of economic progress, many questioned whether it was too strong.
5The act took effect around the same time as other laws designed to protect natural resources such as water, air and the wilderness.
6In the 1960s and 1970s, no other country in the world had put such wide protections into place.
7Concerns came later when the law prevented projects such as a hydroelectric dam in Tennessee from moving forward.
8The concern? A small river fish no one had ever heard of.
9That fish is called the snail darter.
10Plans to protect the fish held up progress on the Tellico Dam for more than two years.
11Biologists eventually decided to catch the small fish and move it to other rivers.
12The fish population grew over time and the snail darters were removed from the endangered species list in 1984.
13About one year ago, the fish had fully recovered.
14Jim Williams was the first so-called "fish guy" in the Office of Endangered Species.
15When his group listed the fish, he recalled, the decision made a lot of people upset.
16He said his director told him not to list the fish.
17But Williams said he planned to follow the law and make decisions based on facts, not on possible public reaction.
18The snail darter decision showed the U.S. government that the law was going to be difficult to manage.
19Some said the government should not try to save all species.
20Others said all animals and plants should be safe from extinction. The debate continues today.
21Many more disputes over the protection of species came up over the next 45 years.
22In each case, employees at the Endangered Species Office made decisions that upset some people but ultimately saved the animals.
23In northern Minnesota in the 1980s, the gray wolf population had recovered from only around a few hundred to about 1,000.
24The Endangered Species Act had helped save the gray wolf.
25With the population growing, people wanted permission to hunt the animals.
26The Fish and Wildlife Service sought to cooperate with the state of Minnesota and open the gray wolf to hunting.
27The move required a regulation showing that a hunting season would help the wolves and was the only way to control their population.
28Ron Nowak was a wolf expert in the Endangered Species Office at the time.
29The Fish and Wildlife Service told Nowak to write the regulation.
30"And I said, 'It would be illegal,'" Nowak said.
31The Fish and Wildlife Service found someone else to write the regulation.
32Conservation groups took legal action and called Nowak as a witness.
33He traveled to Minnesota to tell the government that wolves should not be open to hunting.
34LaVerne Smith started working in the Endangered Species Office in 1978.
35Soon after came a major decision involving the California condor, the largest bird native to North America.
36By 1982, only 23 California condors were left.
37Biologists were looking at whether the species could be saved.
38The office made a plan to move the remaining birds into a safe and closed area and breed them.
39The plan worked. Today, there are more than 400 California condors.
40They can even be seen flying over the Grand Canyon.
41Smith said, "the day I saw one sail over the Grand Canyon, I was like, 'Oh my God! That was all worth it.'"
42Later in her career, Smith led the effort to list the polar bear as endangered.
43It marked the first time an animal was listed as endangered because of climate change.
44Marc Imlay began working at the Endangered Species Office in 1971, two years before the current Endangered Species Act was passed.
45Imlay is an expert on mollusks - small animals including snails, mussels and slugs.
46He had concerns that hydroelectric dams were putting freshwater mussels in danger in states such as Missouri and Tennessee.
47At one point, Imlay decided to make a phone call to a conservation group in Missouri to tell them that a planned dam would put the mussels in danger.
48The call worked. He got locals to pay attention to the organism and the dam was stopped.
49In time, his work prevented a number of dams from being built.
50While some could argue that Imlay slowed economic progress, he said in other cases he found a way to help development move forward.
51"Time and time again," he said, "you can work with a developer" to save high-quality land.
52I'm Dan Friedell.
1The Endangered Species Act had widespread support when President Richard Nixon signed it into law late in 1973. In the 50 years since, the effects of the legislation have been both successful and complex. 2Most Americans celebrated the law that helped save animals such as the bald eagle and bison. But when the law stood in the way of economic progress, many questioned whether it was too strong. 3The act took effect around the same time as other laws designed to protect natural resources such as water, air and the wilderness. In the 1960s and 1970s, no other country in the world had put such wide protections into place. 4Concerns came later when the law prevented projects such as a hydroelectric dam in Tennessee from moving forward. The concern? A small river fish no one had ever heard of. 5That fish is called the snail darter. Plans to protect the fish held up progress on the Tellico Dam for more than two years. Biologists eventually decided to catch the small fish and move it to other rivers. 6The fish population grew over time and the snail darters were removed from the endangered species list in 1984. About one year ago, the fish had fully recovered. 7Jim Williams was the first so-called "fish guy" in the Office of Endangered Species. When his group listed the fish, he recalled, the decision made a lot of people upset. 8He said his director told him not to list the fish. But Williams said he planned to follow the law and make decisions based on facts, not on possible public reaction. 9The snail darter decision showed the U.S. government that the law was going to be difficult to manage. Some said the government should not try to save all species. Others said all animals and plants should be safe from extinction. The debate continues today. 10Many more disputes over the protection of species came up over the next 45 years. In each case, employees at the Endangered Species Office made decisions that upset some people but ultimately saved the animals. 11Gray wolves 12In northern Minnesota in the 1980s, the gray wolf population had recovered from only around a few hundred to about 1,000. The Endangered Species Act had helped save the gray wolf. 13With the population growing, people wanted permission to hunt the animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service sought to cooperate with the state of Minnesota and open the gray wolf to hunting. 14The move required a regulation showing that a hunting season would help the wolves and was the only way to control their population. 15Ron Nowak was a wolf expert in the Endangered Species Office at the time. The Fish and Wildlife Service told Nowak to write the regulation. "And I said, 'It would be illegal,'" Nowak said. 16The Fish and Wildlife Service found someone else to write the regulation. Conservation groups took legal action and called Nowak as a witness. He traveled to Minnesota to tell the government that wolves should not be open to hunting. 17California condor 18LaVerne Smith started working in the Endangered Species Office in 1978. Soon after came a major decision involving the California condor, the largest bird native to North America. By 1982, only 23 California condors were left. Biologists were looking at whether the species could be saved. 19The office made a plan to move the remaining birds into a safe and closed area and breed them. 20The plan worked. Today, there are more than 400 California condors. They can even be seen flying over the Grand Canyon. 21Smith said, "the day I saw one sail over the Grand Canyon, I was like, 'Oh my God! That was all worth it.'" 22Later in her career, Smith led the effort to list the polar bear as endangered. It marked the first time an animal was listed as endangered because of climate change. 23Freshwater mussels 24Marc Imlay began working at the Endangered Species Office in 1971, two years before the current Endangered Species Act was passed. 25Imlay is an expert on mollusks - small animals including snails, mussels and slugs. He had concerns that hydroelectric dams were putting freshwater mussels in danger in states such as Missouri and Tennessee. 26At one point, Imlay decided to make a phone call to a conservation group in Missouri to tell them that a planned dam would put the mussels in danger. 27The call worked. He got locals to pay attention to the organism and the dam was stopped. In time, his work prevented a number of dams from being built. 28While some could argue that Imlay slowed economic progress, he said in other cases he found a way to help development move forward. 29"Time and time again," he said, "you can work with a developer" to save high-quality land. 30I'm Dan Friedell. 31Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 32_________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34species-n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants 35manage -v. to oversee or run 36regulation -n. a law or rule 37conservation -adj. dealing with the protection of nature 38breed -v. to put two animals together with the goal of mating them and creating young 39We want to hear from you. Are there similar protections for plants and animals now where you live?