Fifty years ago today, President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act and the wildly effective act is our nation’s top wildlife law. Ninety-nine percent of the threatened and endangered species protected by the ESA, including America’s symbol, the bald eagle, still exist today. On top of that, many once-at-risk species now thrive well enough that they no longer need the protections of the law.
One of the first species protected by the ESA, the bald eagle, once faced extinction across much of its range. Now, it is no longer on the federal endangered species list, thanks to the elimination of the potent insecticide DDT, protection of the eagle’s habitat, and other conservation efforts. This majestic bird now soars far and wide. Approximately 200 nesting pairs live in Colorado and more than 300,000 total bald eagles dot the skies of the Lower 48.
But what’s left unsaid in the success story of the ESA is that other species not protected by the law continue to slip in population size or overall health. In that missing chapter, some wildlife face a variety of obstacles but the loss of habitat looms largest. In other words, the nation’s premier wildlife law has worked and we must allow it to continue to work, but its role isn’t all-encompassing.
To combat this problem, states across the country have put together their own wildlife action plans, which list “species of greatest conservation concern” in their state. In total, state plans list more than 12,000 species. Here, Colorado Parks and Wildlife manages wildlife, and highlights the species in need of additional conservation efforts. The Colorado state action plan includes the burrowing owl, Colorado River cutthroat trout, wolverine, mountain plover, greater sandhill crane and more than 100 other vulnerable species.
The overall decline of wildlife in the states and across the globe tells us we need additional strategies to complement the ESA, the de facto emergency room for species that are badly hurting. To further that metaphor, we need to find “preventative health care” to protect America’s wildlife before triage is needed. State action plans such as Colorado’s can function in that capacity. But without sufficient funding, it’s little more than a document.
This condition is true in all 50 states. It’s why there is a bipartisan push in Congress to pass the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a bill that would put the action into these state wildlife action plans.
By funding state wildlife agencies up to $1.3 billion by 2027 (including CPW) and supporting their wildlife plans, the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act can offer that crucial preventative care for species so that emergency room care is unneeded. Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper support the legislation.
Even those not always enthralled with the ESA support the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act because this funding can keep species from needing to be listed as threatened or endangered.
Like the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, love of wildlife isn’t partisan. Seeing majestic creatures in their (or our) habitats can make us stop and gawk – whether it’s a birder stumbling upon a bald eagle or drivers stuck in “ram jams.” Even though people know better than to stop their cars and stall traffic, the presence of bighorn sheep causes us to lose our wits for a moment. In terms of getting into nature, there’s nothing more soothing than casting a line and waiting (sometimes all day) for the fish to bite. How much is this loved? Hunting and fishing together add more than $3 billion to the Colorado economy every year.
Passing the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, especially in bipartisan fashion, would harken back to the day 50 years ago, when Nixon signed the ESA. Like then, passage of today’s wildlife bill would show a true commitment to saving the animals that help make Colorado and all of America special.
Ellen Montgomery is the public lands campaign director for Environment Colorado and contributes Opinion columns to The Colorado Sun.
