Misplaced Pages

#449550

85-473: TIRN provides the umbrella organization to a number of projects including the Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP), Got Mercury? and SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) . In order to achieve its goals, TIRN uses a combination of grassroots education and organizing, legal pressure, hands-on conservation, innovative use of the media, research and policy advocacy. TIRN has offices in

170-527: A "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation", the ESA was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973. The Supreme Court of the United States described it as "the most comprehensive legislation for the preservation of endangered species enacted by any nation". The purposes of the ESA are two-fold: to prevent extinction and to recover species to

255-531: A PhD marine biologist by training (Oregon State University, 1969), who had transferred from his post as the senior scientific adviser to the Commandant of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, office of the Commandant of the Corps., to join the newly formed White House CEQ. The staff, under Dr. Train's leadership, incorporated dozens of new principles and ideas into the landmark legislation but also incorporated previous laws, as

340-570: A coalition of environmental organizations prevented efforts by the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) to reopen the seasonal closure to drift gillnet fishing. STRP is currently working to prevent the development of a pelagic longline fishery within the California Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where it has been banned for 30 years to protect various marine species. In August 2002 STRP merged with

425-502: A component of the written decision. Rather, geographic boundaries of operation were set to preclude direct impact on the several populations of the endangered Tiehm's buckwheat . The buckwheat example also displays the lack of scalar considerations regarding species uniqueness and ecological importance, as these were not components of the 2022 listing decision nor of the environmental permitting decision required for lithium mining. Scientific expertise alone determines if an animal or plant

510-582: A free online mercury in seafood calculator that allows individuals to use the Environmental Protection Agency 's calculations to estimate average mercury exposure levels by fish type and amount relative to a person's weight. Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 ( ESA or "The Act"; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq. ) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as

595-594: A goal of protecting endangered sea turtles from human-caused threats at nesting beaches and in the ocean. STRP states its mission as being: To protect endangered sea turtles in ways that make cultural and economic sense to the communities that share the beaches and waters with these gentle creatures. STRP engages in activities such as educating the public about sea turtles, urging people to get involved with sea turtle protection, advocating for laws and regulations that protect sea turtles from accidentally getting caught in commercial fishing operations, filing lawsuits when

680-422: A hierarchy of priorities based first on the magnitude of threat, then upon its imminence, and finally upon taxonomic distinctiveness (with monotypic genera ranked ahead of other species, and full species ranked ahead of subspecies). Requirements that listing decisions be made based on scientific evidence and considerations, coupled with an inability of the agencies to expand and contract staffing based on shifts in

765-523: A lack of scientific integrity in the federal program." Among the faculty expressing views in a University of Pennsylvania report, one drew attention to an underlying shift in national worldviews during the past half-century: The Act "reflects the confidence of mid-20th century liberal politics that any problem can be fixed with legislation based on scientific data," yet pragmatic solutions that require flexibility have been hindered and polarization has become intense. An academic review paper in 2008 reported that

850-651: A moratorium on high seas industrial longline fishing to prevent the extinction of the Pacific leatherback sea turtle. In 2004 the documentary Last Journey for the Leatherback? was released, which depicts the plight of the Pacific leatherback sea turtle. STRP's American Pacific sea turtle campaign began in 2001 when their legal action forced a seasonal closure of the California / Oregon drift gillnet fishery to protect endangered sea turtles and other marine species. In 2006 STRP and

935-529: A potential financial loss. As well, while the standard to prevent jeopardy or adverse modification applies only to federal activities, non-federal activities are subject to Section 10 of the Act, and private activities on private lands may require federal discretionary permits (such as those required by the Clean Water Act , Section 404) and thereby triggering Section 7 of the ESA. Controversy sometimes roils when

SECTION 10

#1732851690450

1020-685: A record-breaking season occurred with 148 Kemp's ridley nests found along the Texas coast, which was more than double the figure found in 2005. Since 1989, STRP has been working directly in Central America with coastal communities in an effort to protect sea turtles. Along with its sister organization PRETOMA , which is based in Costa Rica , STRP is focused on decreasing the threats to sea turtles in Central America that include development of nesting sites, killing of breeding females, illegal poaching of eggs, and

1105-545: A revision to the listed entity." Critics of the Act have noted that, despite its goal of recovering species to the point of delisting, this has rarely happened. As of 2023 (fifty years after its passage), an aggregate of 1,780 species had been listed through the years as endangered or the less severe category of threatened. Of that total, 64 species improved enough to be removed from the list. Another 64 improved enough to be "downlisted" from endangered to threatened. While 11 species have been declared extinct since implementation of

1190-572: A similar international convention. In February 1973 a meeting in Washington, D.C. was convened. This meeting produced the comprehensive multilateral treaty known as CITES , or the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 provided a template for the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by using the term "based on

1275-427: A species is listed, the statutory imperative to prevent extinction precludes scalar considerations in federal permitting of development projects. Economic or other societal benefits, no matter how significant, are not to impede upon scientific decision-making in assessing the degree to which a project would subject a listed species to additional extinction risk. An historic example is the 1978 judicial decision in favor of

1360-604: A species-by-species basis. As of 2023, the most recent report to Congress was by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and presented expenditures cumulative through fiscal year 2020. The report entailed these statistics: "Of the 1,388 status reviews completed, 93 percent (1,294) recommend no change in status for the species, 3 percent (40) recommend reclassifying from endangered to threatened, 3 percent (38) recommend delisting (22 due to extinction, 13 due to recovery, and 3 due to error), 1 percent (13) recommend reclassifying from threatened to endangered, and less than 1 percent (2) recommend

1445-601: A tiny fish (the snail darter ) — even though that decision halted construction of a dam that was already underway on the Little Tennessee River . A listed plant example of non-scalar approaches to endangered species management happened in October 2024. While a federal permit was awarded for a new lithium mining project in Nevada, the purported societal and climate benefits of lithium for electric vehicle manufacturing were not

1530-474: Is certified as a distinct species, rather than a mere variety of an existing species. An academic dissertation informing the listing decision for Tiehm's buckwheat concluded that, of all the species of genus Eriogonum in Nevada, "seven of the thirteen non-tiehmii taxa appear to be close relatives." The author included in his final paragraph the challenges of non-scalar approaches to environmental decision-making: The battle of human need versus habitat conservation

1615-497: Is considered a landmark conservation law. Academic researchers have referred to it as "one of the nation's most significant environmental laws." It has also been called "one of the most powerful environmental statutes in the U.S. and one of the world's strongest species protection laws." The Act itself has been amended four times: 1978, 1982, 1988, and 1992. Formal regulations published in the Federal Register that specify how

1700-425: Is constant. The situation Tiehm’s buckwheat finds itself, stuck between conservation of its ~25,000 individuals or eradication to allow access to needed resources, is certainly complicated. There are potential services it could provide that are yet to be discovered. If mining were to commence it is unlikely to survive and those services could be lost. If the mining operation is halted or modified to protect E. tiehmii ,

1785-472: Is greater. A widely used statistic supporting effectiveness of the Act is that 99 percent of listed species have not gone extinct. In 2012 the Center for Biological Diversity issued a report that surveyed a sample of 110 listed species and concluded that 90 percent of them were recovering "at the rate specified by their federal recovery plan." On the opposing side of the spectrum, a foundation associated with

SECTION 20

#1732851690450

1870-497: Is that, unlike the previous legislation, plants became eligible for listing. Section 12 directed the Smithsonian Institution "to review (1) species of plants which are now or may become endangered or threatened and (2) methods of adequately conserving such species, and to report to Congress, within one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the results of such review including recommendations for new legislation or

1955-638: The Earth Island Institute , launched STRP to help strengthen sea turtle protection policies at the local and international level. Steiner had traveled to Nicaragua to assist local communities in protecting their nesting populations of sea turtles. When he returned to the United States Steiner learned that the sea turtles that were protected in Nicaragua were being killed in Mexico to supply shells for

2040-763: The Gulf of Mexico , Central America and the Western Pacific . In addition, Got Mercury? , a program to educate the public about mercury levels in seafood , was developed in 2002 under TIRN and the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. In 1999, the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, a volunteer-driven program focused on protecting endangered salmon in the Lagunitas Creek watershed, became an official program of TIRN. Turtle Island Restoration Network

2125-703: The Japanese luxury apparel market. The sea turtle is a highly migratory species that crosses national boundaries as part of its natural life cycle. STRP join international efforts to end the trade in endangered sea turtles by organizing protests at the Mexican and Japanese consulates in the United States and generating thousands of letters and phone calls of protest. Mexico banned the killing of sea turtles and Japan ended its illegal trade in endangered sea turtle parts for luxury items. Since 1989, STRP has attempted to address other threats facing sea turtles at nesting beaches and in

2210-686: The Migratory Bird Conservation Act , a 1937 treaty prohibiting the hunting of right and gray whales, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940. Despite these treaties and protections, many populations still continued to decline. By 1941, only an estimated 16 whooping cranes remained in the wild. By 1963, the bald eagle , the U.S. national symbol, was in danger of extinction. Only around 487 nesting pairs remained. Loss of habitat, shooting, and DDT poisoning contributed to its decline. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tried to prevent

2295-473: The United States , Costa Rica and Papua New Guinea and is currently supported by over 10,000 members. TIRN states its vision as: "Foreseeing a time when a critical-mass of people in communities all over the world share a common understanding of the intrinsic value of biodiversity and a permanent commitment to acting as wise, willing and able stewards of life in the earth's oceanns and o its lands." TIRN

2380-616: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). FWS and NMFS have been delegated by the Act with the authority to promulgate any rules and guidelines within the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) to implement its provisions. Calls for wildlife conservation in the United States increased in the early 1900s because of the visible decline of several species.  One example

2465-399: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service . In practice, recovery plans usually include population targets and "objective, measurable criteria" that would constitute adequate reduction of threats and provision of habitat protection" such that delisting (or down-listing from "endangered" to "threatened") would be warranted. The 1973 Act introduced

2550-531: The 1972 ban of the pesticide DDT by the EPA , rather than the Endangered Species Act. Supporters of the Act argue that listing these species as endangered led to additional actions that were also crucial for species recovery (i.e., captive breeding, habitat protection, and protection from disturbance). Among the most difficult species to protect are mussels because they depend on adequate amounts of clean and flowing freshwater. Home to approximately 300 mussel species,

2635-487: The Act had become "a social, legal, and political battleground" and that "the scientific question of whether the ESA works effectively to protect species remains open." Specific challenges and long-term controversies are summarized in this section. Because the Act allowed species to be listed as endangered without consideration of the economic consequences, it soon became and continues to be controversial. Costs conferred on private landowners and various industries may come in

Turtle Island Restoration Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

2720-409: The Act will be implemented have also changed through time. In recent years, U.S. presidential elections that greatly shift environmental priorities have culminated in regulatory shifts in endangered species management back and forth. Congressional elections also affect implementation of the Act via expansions or contractions in annual funding decisions for the agencies. A distinction of the 1973 Act

2805-536: The Act's outcomes and controversies. Congressional overturning of several recent listings and ability to hamper implementation by restricting agency funding were among the points mentioned by some media. In contrast, a foundation associated with the Western Caucus of U.S. senators and representatives issued a 116-page report in 2023 titled "The Endangered Species Act at 50", with a subtitle expressing its primary criticism that "a record of falsified recoveries underscores

2890-418: The ESA has been "weaponized," particularly against western states, constraining state government choices about the use of public lands. The case of the protracted dispute over the greater sage-grouse is one such example, and the spotted owl is another. In the extreme is the largely western saying pertaining to endangered animals, such as wolves: " shoot, shovel, and shut up ." Rep. Don Young (Alaska),

2975-526: The Endangered Species Act was enacted, Congress recognized that at any given time there were likely to be more species potentially eligible for listing than the Service could address through the rule-making process. As a result, Congress in 1979 directed the Service to develop a prioritization system that would enable it to determine which of the potentially eligible species should be considered first. The Service responded with listing priority guidance that established

3060-525: The Interior to acquire land or interests in land that would further the conservation of these species. The Department of Interior issued the first list of endangered species in March 1967. It included 14 mammals, 36 birds, 6 reptiles, 6 amphibians, and 22 fish. A few notable species listed in 1967 were the grizzly bear , American alligator , Florida manatee , and bald eagle . The list included only vertebrates at

3145-519: The Pacific leatherback sea turtle ; the Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon ; the southern resident population of killer whale ; and the white abalone . Human activities are presented as the primary cause of extinction threats for all these species. The two implementing agencies have a combined record of changing species status from threatened to endangered on nine occasions, while the number of status improvements from endangered to threatened

3230-625: The Save the Leatherback program, the Gulf of Mexico program, US Pacific Sea Turtles , Central America program, Western Pacific program and Got Mercury? program. SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) had its seeds in 1996 and in 1999 became an official program under the umbrella of TIRN. It is a volunteer-driven program that works to protect endangered salmon in the Lagunitas Creek watershed, and

3315-495: The State of California passed a law that prevented killing or removal of the western variety of Joshua tree wherever it was found. Climate change risk was a key factor in the determination. The Act distinguished two grades of species for listing: "endangered" and a lesser category called "threatened". An endangered species is in danger of extinction now; a threatened species faces such a threat in "the foreseeable future." The aim for

3400-503: The Texas-based Help Endangered Animals – Ridley Turtles (HEART) organization and opened its Gulf of Mexico office. The focus of this program is protecting the habitat of the critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle through the enforcement of turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in shrimp nets and the development of a Kemp's ridley marine reserve that is off limits to commercial fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. In 2008

3485-557: The United States Endangered Species Act or other conservation laws are violated, and disseminating information about sea turtles to elected officials, regulatory agencies, members of the media and the public. STRP currently has offices in the United States, Central America and the Western Pacific . Todd Steiner, a herpetologist and then director of the Save the Dolphin Project, an affiliate organization of

Turtle Island Restoration Network - Misplaced Pages Continue

3570-426: The Western Caucus of U.S. senators and representatives issued a 116-page report in 2023 that points to data and statements made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the past half-century that can be interpreted as disputing proclamations of success. Specifically, statements of numbers of species "recovered" do not distinguish between those delisted owing to actual improvement in populations versus those for which

3655-435: The amendment of existing legislation." As a result, the first plant listings occurred in 1977. Fifty years later, significantly more species of plants were listed in the highest category (endangered) than animals: 766 plants and 486 animals. Historians attribute this new-found concern for imperiled plants to ongoing global treaty negotiations (especially in 1972 and 1973) toward what would eventually be adopted in 1975 under

3740-464: The arbiters of how numerical statements of extinction risk should be gauged in context of other kinds of national risks and priorities. In a multi-author report published in 2016, the Ecological Society of America explained how this kind of controversy develops: Any decision to list a species also requires a policy judgment regarding how much risk to that species is acceptable. Science can inform

3825-419: The best scientific and commercial data." This standard is used as a guideline to determine if a species is in danger of extinction. In 1972, President Nixon declared current species conservation efforts to be inadequate. He called on the 93rd United States Congress to pass comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded with a completely rewritten law, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which

3910-475: The concept of what is now called "critical habitat" in only one brief passage. Section 7 required federal agencies to ensure that actions they authorized, funded, or carried out would not result in "the destruction or modification of habitat of such species which is determined by the Secretary, after consultation as appropriate with affected States, to be critical." When the Act was amended in 1978, "critical habitat"

3995-571: The day played a prominent role in raising public awareness about the losses. For example, George Bird Grinnell highlighted bison decline by writing articles in Forest and Stream . To address these concerns, Congress enacted the Lacey Act of 1900 . The Lacey Act was the first federal law that regulated commercial animal markets. It also prohibited the sale of illegally killed animals between states ( interstate commerce ). Other legislation followed, including

4080-453: The decision by determining the degree of risk a species faces, but science alone cannot determine whether the risk is acceptable.... Stakeholders with divergent views about acceptable levels of extinction risk frequently mount legal challenges over whether species need to be listed, whether they are endangered or threatened, how much habitat represents a "significant portion" of a species' range, and other key elements of ESA implementation. Once

4165-454: The eastern region of the USA is the center of global diversity for these freshwater molluscs . However, 65 percent of them are threatened or endangered. The 1988 Congressional amendments to the Act included a new section, Section 18, to aid effectiveness evaluations by having each of the two implementing agencies periodically report cumulative federal funding (and, to some degree, state funding) on

4250-590: The enacting legislation to carry out the provisions outlined in The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill , the Supreme Court found that "the plain intent of Congress in enacting" the ESA "was to halt and reverse the trend toward species extinction, whatever the cost." The Act is administered by two federal agencies,

4335-441: The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker . A study of some 1,000 privately owned forest plots within the range of the woodpecker found that when landowners observed pine growth maturing to a stage in which it might attract nesting woodpeckers, they were more likely to harvest – regardless of timber prices at the time. This is a form of intentional habitat destruction for avoiding economic consequences. Legislators have expressed that

SECTION 50

#1732851690450

4420-448: The environment. The programmes projects include habitat restoration, fish rescue, citizen training, creek monitoring, creek walks, land acquisition and water conservation . Key accomplishments of TIRN include: Sea Turtle Restoration Project The Sea Turtle Restoration Project (STRP), founded in 1989, is a project of Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN), a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization with

4505-539: The environment." The Endangered Species Act is administered by two federal agencies, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). NMFS handles marine species , and the FWS has responsibility over freshwater fish and all other species. Species that occur in both habitats (e.g. sea turtles and Atlantic sturgeon ) are jointly managed. As amended, it consists of 18 sections. Key legal requirements include: The 1973 Act

4590-481: The extinction of these species. Yet, it lacked the necessary Congressional authority and funding. In response to this need, Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act ( Pub. L.   89–669 ) on October 15, 1966. The Act initiated a program to conserve, protect, and restore select species of native fish and wildlife. As a part of this program, Congress authorized the Secretary of

4675-401: The form of lost opportunity or slowing down operations to comply with the regulations put forth in the Act. Notably, in 1978 the listing of a tiny fish (snail darter) shut down for several years construction of a dam that was already underway on the Little Tennessee River . More broadly, the requirement to consult with the relevant agencies on federal projects has at times slowed operations by

4760-424: The global need of lithium may begin to outweigh the supply, and potentially cause delays in technological advances that are aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. As of 2023, an aggregate of 1,780 species had been listed through the years as "endangered" or a less severe category of "threatened". While 99% of the total species are still alive, critics have pointed out that only 64 species improved enough to be removed from

4845-434: The incidental capture of sea turtles by industrial fishing fleets. STRP's Western Pacific program began in 2006 and is based on the island of Papua New Guinea . STRP partners with coastal communities to protect and restore the declining leatherback turtle population and habitat by helping to establish conservation deeds in important nesting beaches and marine waters. In 2002 STRP began its Got Mercury? program to educate

4930-644: The law began, another 23 species have gone missing for so long that they have been proposed for official designation as extinct. The National Marine Fisheries Service lists eight species (or populations of a species) as among the most at risk of extinction in the near future. These animals are the Atlantic salmon ; the Central California Coast coho salmon ; the Cook Inlet beluga whale ; the Hawaiian monk seal ;

5015-510: The lesser category is to enable protective actions by federal agencies at an earlier time, such that the causes of population decline might be corrected before emergency concerns develop. Controversy also arises as to whether and what differences in recovery plan elements, and thus management policies and restrictions, should distinguish "threatened" from "endangered." The Act specifies the types of causes to be identified in species decline, any one of which might be severe enough to merit listing

5100-448: The list ("delisted"). Another 64 improved enough to be "downlisted" from endangered to threatened. Only 11 species have been declared extinct after they were listed, but another 23 species have gone missing for so long that they have been proposed for official designation as extinct. Some have argued that the recovery of imperiled flesh-eating birds (notably, the bald eagle , brown pelican , and peregrine falcon ) should be attributed to

5185-456: The list of protected species. While the 1966 Act only applied to 'game' and wild birds, the 1969 Act also protected mollusks and crustaceans . Punishments for poaching or unlawful importation or sale of these species were also increased. Any violation could result in a $ 10,000 fine or up to one year of jail time. Notably, the Act called for an international convention or treaty to conserve endangered species. A 1963 IUCN resolution called for

SECTION 60

#1732851690450

5270-552: The longest-serving Republican congressman, said in 2018, "As the one person in the Congress, the only one, that voted for the Endangered Species Act, please beat me with a whip." Some economists have stated that finding a way to reduce such perverse incentives would lead to more effective protection of endangered species. One suggestion for ending perverse incentives would be to compensate property owners for protecting endangered species, rather than having an endangered species regarded as

5355-595: The most adult leatherback mortality. In response, STRP convened the International Leatherback Survival Conference in April 2002. The outcome was a call by leading sea turtle and marine scientists for a moratorium on Pacific longlining and drift gillnetting. In the next few years STRP organized over 1,000 scientists from 97 countries and 280 NGOs to sign a petition to the United Nations seeking

5440-504: The movie titled Battle in Seattle was released that dramatizes the events surrounding the 1999 WTO protests . STRP currently has five programs that focus on protecting sea turtles and the marine environment. These include the Save the Leatherback program, Gulf of Mexico program, US Pacific sea turtle campaign, Central America program and Western Pacific program. In addition STRP has a public health campaign - Got Mercury? - that addresses

5525-668: The near extinct Pacific leatherback turtle off the west coast of the United States. In 1999 STRP broke off from its parent organization Earth Island Institute and was re-incorporated as the Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN). That same year STRP staff members marched with people dressed in sea turtle costumes at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings in Seattle to protest the conflict of trade rules with protecting endangered species. In September 2008

5610-545: The ocean where sea turtles spend most of their time. This has included protecting critical nesting habitat in Central America, seeking to establish a marine reserve for the Kemp's ridley sea turtle in [/Texas/], developing community-based projects to protect local sea turtle populations in the Western Pacific, preventing the capture of sea turtles by industrial fishing operations worldwide, and protecting critical foraging habitat for

5695-410: The oil and gas industry, including exploration or development on federal lands rich in fossil fuels. One widely held opinion thus is that the protections afforded to listed species curtail economic activity. In the extreme, economic consequences can induce perverse incentives by which landowners actively curtail their lands from attracting endangered species. An example in the eastern USA pertains to

5780-424: The original population numbers were later found to have been greatly underestimated. Had the science been more in line with reality at the start, this report claims 36 of the 62 species reported by the agency as officially recovered would not have achieved listing at the outset. Controversy also develops when the science used to support a delisting decision differs from the numerical population thresholds included in

5865-492: The point where the law's protections are not needed. It therefore "protect[s] species and the ecosystems upon which they depend" through different mechanisms. For example, section 4 requires the agencies overseeing the Act to designate imperiled species as threatened or endangered. Section 9 prohibits unlawful 'take,' of such species, which means to "harass, harm, hunt..." Section 7 directs federal agencies to use their authorities to help conserve listed species. The Act also serves as

5950-576: The points of contention. Ultimately, federal authority over enforcement of endangered plant protections has centered on regulation of interstate commerce of such plants. This legal distinction for plants became controversial in practice when a group of citizens, Torreya Guardians , chose to help an endangered glacial relict plant, Florida Torreya , move to cooler poleward climates before conservation professionals were ready to begin their own experimentation with assisted migration of endangered species. Because movement of seeds and seedlings by this group

6035-503: The public about mercury levels in seafood and to take action to reduce the public's exposure to methylmercury in seafood. Got Mercury? has tested mercury levels in fish found in sushi restaurants and found high levels of mercury in tuna . Volunteers monitor restaurants and supermarkets to make sure they are in compliance with California's Proposition 65 law. Proposition 65 requires the posting of mercury in seafood consumer advisory warnings by seafood purveyors. Got Mercury? developed

6120-565: The public health issue of mercury in seafood. STRP began the Save the Leatherback Program in 2000 when a scientific article published in Nature magazine stated that the Pacific leatherback sea turtle could become extinct within 10–30 years if its adult mortality was not drastically reduced. Industrialized fishing practices, particularly longlining and drift gillnetting , used to catch swordfish , shark , and tuna , were cited as causing

6205-399: The species as threatened or endangered. Also known as the "five factors", the set of possible causes entail: A key provision of the 1973 Act was that "preventing extinction" would no longer be sufficient. Rather, "recovery" of listed species, such that "delisting" could become possible, was now a stated goal. "Recovery plans" were now to be developed and published by the two agencies in charge:

6290-440: The species recovery plan. A 2012 court case upheld that the published recovery criteria are not legally binding for later delisting decisions. Listing of a species "triggers two overlapping types of conservation measures: extinction prevention and recovery actions." An official document required by the Act has come to be known as a recovery plan . The Act "gives few guidelines for their preparation and content and does not specify

6375-519: The time because of the Department of Interior's limited definition of "fish and wildlife." The Endangered Species Preservation Act was repealed by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 ( Pub. L.   91–135 ) amended the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. It established a list of species in danger of worldwide extinction. It also expanded protections for species covered in 1966 and added to

6460-651: The timing of a petition to list a new species overlaps with plans for or initiation of a development project that could be impeded by such a listing. A news editorial marking the 50th anniversary of the Act suggested that "the ESA became the weapon of choice for environmental groups seeking to stop projects or tear down others. Lawsuits by the score have been filed over projects large and small, setting off ill feelings toward environmental groups." The Act points to science professionals as "solely" responsible for making extinction risk assessments. Governmental policies as shaped by various and changing public interests are necessarily

6545-400: The title, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES ). Prior to this time, attention to the conservation needs of native plants had been stalled by complications that do not pertain to animals. How to adequately distinguish plants illegally collected in the wild from plants propagated from seeds or cuttings taken from horticultural specimens was among

6630-469: The volume of outstanding petitions, induced Congress in 1982 to amend the Act by establishing deadlines for agency decisions. As of 2023, those deadlines still nominally apply, but in practice it is rare for a petitioner to approach the judicial system to force a decision before the agency is able to finish the job on its own timetable. In 2023, with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) achieving its 50th anniversary, journalists were prompted to report on

6715-541: Was a top finalist for Best Non-Profit Organization in Galveston.com's 2019 Best of the Island Awards. TIRN is the umbrella organization for two major programs: The Sea Turtle Restoration Project was founded in 1989 with the mission to protect endangered sea turtles in ways that make cultural and economic sense to communities that share their habitats with the creatures. The project has a number of active projects including

6800-427: Was desired by Congressman John Dingell (D-Michigan) when he first proposed the idea of an "Endangered Species Act." Among the staff, Dr. Bertrand is credited with having written major parts of the Act, including the infamous "takings" clause, 16 U.S.C.   § 1538 . "We didn't know what we couldn't do," Dr. Bertrand has said about the Act. "We were doing what we thought was scientifically valid and right for

6885-707: Was founded in 1999 to provide an umbrella organization for the Sea Turtle Restoration Project. This had at the time been an affiliate organization of the Earth Island Institute since 1989, focusing on the international protection of endangered sea turtles . In 1999, the project broke off from its parent group and re-incorporated as the Turtle Island Restoration Network. Since its founding in 1999, TIRN has diversified and expanded its programs. The project, based in Olema, Marin County, California , now includes offices in

6970-413: Was given a definition and basic terms for how it would be determined and used. (As will be seen in the "Controversies" section, this provision was sometimes challenging to implement for both scientific and political reasons.) A review of the Act published in 2009 recounted the unavoidable problems that arose from granting opportunities even for citizens to submit petitions for species listing: Soon after

7055-477: Was noncommercial and based on horticulturally produced specimens, there was no legal apparatus to halt their actions. Another distinction is that, when an animal is listed as endangered or threatened, "taking" of that animal (by capture or killing) becomes a violation of the Act. For plants, "taking" occurs only within the boundaries of federal properties. Even so, states may choose to legislate and enforce prohibitions even on private lands, as occurred in 2023 when

7140-570: Was signed by Nixon on December 28, 1973 ( Pub. L.   93–205 ). It was written by a team of lawyers and scientists, including Dr. Russell E. Train , the first appointed head of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), an outgrowth of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. Dr. Train was assisted by a core group of staffers, including Dr. Earl Baysinger at EPA, Dick Gutting, and Dr. Gerard A. "Jerry" Bertrand,

7225-445: Was the near-extinction of the bison , which used to number in the tens of millions. Similarly, the extinction of the passenger pigeon , which numbered in the billions, caused concern. The whooping crane also received widespread attention as unregulated hunting and habitat loss contributed to a steady decline in its population. By 1890, it had disappeared from its primary breeding range in the north central United States. Scientists of

#449550