Re: NANFA-L-- Endangered Species Act

dlmcneely at lunet.edu
Wed, 21 Sep 2005 16:46:27 -0500

That no species have been "saved" by the ESA is a constantly repeated
claim made by a good many people. However, the fact is that species
listed under the act have been protected far better than species not
listed. Some highly charismatic species that have recovered
substantially because of enforcement actions taken under the ESA
include the Gray Wolf, the Grizzly Bear, the Bald Eagle, the American
Alligator. The list goes on.

You're right that developers, agricultural interests, and industry have
done all they could to find ways around the act and have ground a good
many wildlands into the ground in their zeal to extract every last cent
possible, whether at the expense of the future for all or not, but the
ESA has benefited a substantial number of species. Fishes that I am
familiar with that have benefited include several species of pupfish,
though some of them are barely hanging on. Without ESA they would not
be doing that.

Dave

David L. McNeely, Ph.D., Professor of Biology
Langston University; P.O. Box 1500
Langston, OK 73050; email: dlmcneely at lunet.edu
telephone: (405) 466-6025; fax: 405) 466-3307
home page http://www.lunet.edu/mcneely/index.htm

"Where are we going?" "I don't know, are we there yet?"
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