The ESA, passed by a visionary Congress in 1973, is responsible for preventing plants and animals from following the path of the dodo and the passenger pigeon, that is, to extinction. It stipulates that the government must make every effort to protect a threatened or endangered species regardless of the cost. But due to high-profile cases like the northern spotted owl, concern has recently swelled that saving species is coming at too great a cost to us humans. It hurts jobs, communities and it infringes on the Constitutional rights of property owners, argue critics. The Act is currently scheduled for reauthorization and the GOP Congress is looking to strip its teeth.
Environmentalists are concerned, and they are seeking to draw on the public for help on defense.
They accurately recognize that the Internet is a useful tool in the fight, but that information is often difficult to find due to the diffuse nature of cyberspace. Those familiar with the Act and the current reauthorization process will feel right at home. Also, ESA Today in the ESA Publications section is a great way to stay on top of pertinent grassroots, administrative, budgetary and legislative developments. You may not get the fundamentals necessary to become an active ESA defender. Some of the lacking elements include documentation on the legislation's numerous successes, a primer on the legislative reauthorization process, and a list of those environmental groups united in preserving a strong Endangered Species Act.