The Eagle Flies on Thursday

Torn between wanting to save this for an Independence Day post, and wanting to write about it on the day it actually took place, I'm not sure what the final decision will be. This is a day for conservationists to celebrate one of the biggest victories in conservation history: from the Defenders of Wildlife site today: Nation Celebrates Bald Eagle Recovery:

“We have much to celebrate this Independence Day. Not only are we grateful for this beautiful nation, but we are celebrating the recovery of one of our nation’s most treasured creatures, the bald eagle,” said Jamie Rappaport Clark, executive vice president of Defenders of Wildlife, who served as director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Clinton administration. “Thanks to the Endangered Species Act, our children will have the opportunity to see a bald eagle fly overhead and will know that our nation is committed to carrying on a great wildlife legacy.”

This delisting of the bald eagle, Bald Eagles Soar Back from the Brink, as an endangered species is the most famous success the ESA has had since its inception in 1973 (now known as the Good Old Days of Richard M. Nixon), and the historical dwindling of its numbers over the years since being chosen our national symbol in 1782.

Under the Endangered Species Act, the bald eagle’s recovery was made possible through captive-breeding programs, reintroduction efforts, vigorous law enforcement and habitat protection—including the designation of national wildlife refuges and the protection of nest sites during the breeding season. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other federal and state agencies, conservation organizations and individual volunteers worked together to recover our national symbol. As a result, the bald eagle population has risen from a mere 417 nesting pairs in 1963 to more than 9,700 nesting pairs in the lower 48 states today.(from Defenders of Wildlife)

The removal of Richard Pombo (ESA enemy Number One) from Congress and his position as Chair of the House Resources Committee, and today's fabulous event notwithstanding, the ESA is itself not out of danger. I have written of this endangered piece of legislation many times in this blog, starting here almost exactly two years ago today. Today it is Bush's Supreme Court acting to remove the teeth from the Act: Supreme Court Limits the Endangered Species Act, in a decision favoring the National Association of Home Builders over The Defenders of Wildlife. All branches of this administration clearly favor Big Bidniss over the environment, and despite my joy over today's victory for the big bird, my advice to it would be: don't let your guard own yet.

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bald eagle, conservation victory, defenders of wildlife, endangered species act

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