Peregrine Falcon. Photo: Bruno Struck/Audubon Photography Awards
Efforts to improve the Endangered Species Act's success must work within the existing law to protect the rich natural heritage of the United States.
June 29, 2017 - WASHINGTON—“If you’ve ever seen a Bald Eagle, Brown Pelican or a Peregrine Falcon, you can thank the Endangered Species Act. It’d be difficult to name a more successful law than one that protects America’s birds and other wildlife with a 99 percent success rate,” said Sarah Greenberger, Audubon’s VP of conservation in response to a resolution from the Western Governors Association that outlines recommendations for updating the Act.
“We welcome Governor Matt Mead’s leadership and the other Western governors’ thoughtful efforts to find common ground on ways to continue and improve on the Act’s success. Audubon will thoroughly review any and all recommendations to ensure the Endangered Species Act continues its decades-long legacy of protecting birds and the places they need. Any efforts to improve the Act's implementation must focus on ensuring it is sufficiently funded and on taking advantage of existing authorities to replicate successes like the recent Greater Sage-Grouse victory.”
In September 2015, then-Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the Greater Sage-Grouse did not warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Rapid and effective implementation of sage-grouse conservation plans, which incorporate grouse protection measures on nearly 70 million acres of Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land, were key factors in the “not warranted” decision. These plans were designed after years of cooperation between Western states, federal agencies, industry, private landowners and other stakeholders, and they offer the best chance of survival for not only the Greater Sage-Grouse but more than 350 other species and countless communities in the region.
The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education and on-the-ground conservation. Audubon's state programs, nature centers, chapters and partners have an unparalleled wingspan that reaches millions of people each year to inform, inspire and unite diverse communities in conservation action. Since 1905, Audubon's vision has been a world in which people and wildlife thrive. Audubon is a nonprofit conservation organization. Learn more how to help at www.audubon.org and follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @audubonsociety.
Source: National Audubon Society
