WebJunction

Issue Context

From US Fish And Wildlife Service: Before a plant or animal species can receive protection under the Endangered Species Act (http://www.fws.gov/endangered/whatwedo.html), it must first be placed on the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. Our listing program follows a strict legal process to determine whether to list a species, depending on the degree of threat it faces. An “endangered” species is one that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. A “threatened” species is one that is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. The Service also maintains a list of plant and animals native to the United States that are candidates or proposed for possible addition to the Federal list. All of the Service’s actions, from proposals to listings to removals ("delisting"), are announced through the Federal Register.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed in 1973 as a response to concern in the United States about the decline of species around the world.  It is considered one of the most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world.

The purpose of the ESA is to "conserve the ecosystems upon which threatened or endangered species depend" and to conserve and recover listed species.  Under the law, species may be listed as either "threatened" or "endangered."

Online Resources

Endangered Species Program

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html

This website is maintained by the Fish and Wildlife Service and focuses on threatened and endangered species.  A search feature allows users to search for species using common or scientific names with results showing the status, taxonomy, region, and latest activity for each plant or animal’s listing.  Users will find maps showing how many listed, proposed, and candidate species reside in what areas of the country.

Endangered Species Act of 1973

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa.html

This is the complete text of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Endangered Species on EELink

http://eelink.net/EndSpp/endangeredspecies-mainpage.html

EELink is sponsored by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).  This page provides links to a wealth of information on endangered species in a user-friendly format. 

Federal Register

http://www.fws.gov/policy/frsystem/default.cfm

This page allows users to search for environmentally related documents in the Federal Register.  Searching can be done with keywords or users can browse through the index list of titles from 1994 to the present.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

This organization works to assess the conservation status of plants and animals all over the world in order to determine which are in need of more conservation efforts.  The IUCN Red List evaluates a plant or animal’s risk of actual extinction.  Information on how this is determined and what plants and animals are on their list can be found on this website.

NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/

The Office of Protected Resources focuses mainly on marine by managing 60 endangered list species and 40 species of concern.  This site offers information about these animals, how this organization works to protect them, and information on conservation.

Regulations.gov

http://regulations.gov

This website allows the public to search for, view, and comment on regulations and other actions of federal agencies.

Guides

Citizens' Guide to the Endangered Species Act

http://www.earthjustice.org/library/reports/Citizens_Guide_ESA.pdf

This report is produced by EarthJustice, a non-profit legal group that works to protect the environment and its wildlife and ensure that environmental laws are enforced.  This user-friendly guide explains the Endangered Species Act from its origins to how it works.

Commonly Asked Questions about the Endangered Species Act

http://www.nesarc.org/faq.htm

Commonly asked questions answered by the National Endangered Species Act Reform Coalition.

Endangered Species Field Trip

http://www.field-trips.org/sci/endanger/index.htm

This site takes users on a virtual field trip to learn about endangered animals.  Geared mostly toward grade-school aged children, this site provides useful teacher resources for explaining how an animal becomes endangered, the difference between endangered and extinct, and why we should care about endangered species.