-Written by Wildlife Team Member, Amy Mueller
For the last 50 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) legislation has provided federal protection for the conservation of threatened and endangered plants, animals, and their habitats. This type of historic stewardship recognizes humans have a moral responsibility to help protect the natural world. Essentially, where humans are often the problem, we can also be part of the solution.
Since being established in 1973, the ESA has been credited with saving 99% of listed species from extinction through significant collaborative actions of federal agencies, state, local and Tribal governments. Some of the most notable success stories here in Wisconsin are the Bald Eagle (delisted in 2007), the Peregrine Falcon (delisted in 1999), and Kirtland’s Warbler (delisted in 2019). Although there is still much work to be done. Currently the ESA protects 1,662 species in the United State and 638 foreign species.
Every year on the third Friday in May, people around the world celebrate Endangered Species Day. In fact, this historic legislation is wildly popular with 90% of American voters who are in support of the ESA according to a national poll. (Source: Earthjustice 2015) Some of this popularity comes from the success of the law.
Unfortunately, the Endangered Species Act has been amended and revised many times over the last 50 years, eroding its original protections.
As recently as April 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Natural Resources has voted in favor of six bills and resolutions that threaten to remove protections for multiple species including northern long-eared bats, grizzly bears, and gray wolves.
Particularly, gray wolves face a new threat from the Trust the Science Act, by Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado). It would remove Endangered Species Act protection for wolves in the lower 48 states. It would also bar these measures from judicial review, effectively removing the rights of citizens to challenge them in court, an essential feature of the checks-and-balances structure of our system of government.
It’s important to celebrate ESA day and it’s 50 years of success this year by advocating for it! Call and write to your federal representatives and let them know how important the ESA is to you as a voter and future generations. To ensure the continued success of the ESA, all attempts to weaken it, must be rejected.