What’s New
On Wednesday, April 5, 2006, the Senate unanimously approved a Senate Resolution establishing May 11, 2006 as Endangered Species Day. Endangered Species Day will encourage educational activities in schools throughout the country to promote awareness of threatened and endangered species and what can be done to help. The resolution encourages organizations, businesses, landowners, and government agencies to collaborate on educational materials and events to highlight the importance of and need to protect species.
How You Can Help
Send an email to your Senator urging him or her to protect the Endangered Species Act and stop any efforts to weaken endangered species protections.
Summary
The Endangered Species Act is one of our must successful and valuable environmental laws. For more than 30 years, the Endangered Species Act has served as a safety net for wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. In that time, the Act has a near perfect record of protecting hundreds of species from extinction, including the bald eagle, Florida manatee, grizzly bear, gray wolf, and many more. Click here for more on why we need a strong Endangered Species Act.
Unfortunately, the fate of the Endangered Species Act and our ability to protect threatened and endangered species from extinction hangs in a delicate balance. Last fall, the House of Representatives passed a bill – authored by Congressman Richard Pombo (R-CA), a long-time opponent of environmental laws and protections for wild places and wildlife – that significantly weakens protections for species while creating several loopholes that benefit big developers and other powerful special interests. Click here for more on how the Endangered Species Act works.
In order to protect species from extinction, we must maintain a strong and effective Endangered Species Act. That is why PIRG is working to make sure that the U.S. Senate defends the Endangered Species Act and stops any attempts to weaken or undermine the necessary protections the Act provides for our nation’s imperiled wildlife.
In the States
In additon to our federal advocacy to protect endangered species, the state PIRGs are leading the way to protect important species habitat and wild places. Read more about WISPIRG’s Campaign to Protect Wisconsin’s Forests.
Resources
30 Years of Endangered Species Act Success Stories
The Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act: An Analysis of the Harmful Pombo Legislation
Endangered Law: The Senate Must Protect the Endangered Species Act
