The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened with extinction and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend. The ultimate purpose of the ESA is to conserve the Nation’s natural heritage for the enjoyment and benefit of current and future generations. The ESA was passed in 1973, replacing the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969. Since that time, it has been amended several times.
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Discussion
The Endangered Species Act remains one of our country’s most enduring environmental protections. For more than thirty years the ESA has provided a crucial safety net for extremely imperiled species and has enabled scientifically based efforts to recover species from the brink of extinction. Over 200 species in the Bay Area alone, many of them residing in San Mateo County refuges such as Montara Mountain, Edgewood Preserve, San Bruno Mountain and the wetlands of Rockaway Beach and those adjacent to Belle Air Elementary School in San Bruno, are officially designated species of concern and have been listed as threatened or endangered. Although the current Endangered Species Act has been effective, it cannot be assumed that it will be assured a secure future without effective demonstrations of public and governmental backing.
Currently, bills are being introduced in Congress that could severely undermine the ESA. Recently, Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) sponsored legislation in the United States House of Representatives that could diminish our national commitment to protecting endangered species. It is for this reason that a Resolution affirming the necessity to allow the Endangered Species Act to remain as it is currently written is in need of support.
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