Will the Endangered Species Act Survive?

A Survey of Recent Articles

Last June, an American bald eagle, found months earlier with a broken wing and nursed back to health, was set free in Maryland near the Chesapeake Bay. As the majestic creature soared into the sky, it carried even more than the species' usual symbolic weight: The bird had been given the name "Hope," and its release was timed to coincide with an announcement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that the American bald eagle--that venerated emblem of the nation--was no longer "endangered," merely "threatened." In 1974, there were only 791 known nesting pairs of bald eagles in the continental United States, but now, 20 years later, there are about 4,000. Credit was given to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, which protects animal and plant species at risk of extinction and their "critical habitats." The controversial law, the Fish and Wildlife Service wanted it understood had worked.

In fact, however, it appears that the ESA--which is now up for reauthorization in Congress--has not been very effective. In an evaluation in Science (Nov. 12, …

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Publication information: Article title: Will the Endangered Species Act Survive?. Contributors: Not available. Magazine title: The Wilson Quarterly. Volume: 18. Issue: 4 Publication date: Autumn 1994. Page number: 138+. © Not available. COPYRIGHT 1994 Gale Group.

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