On May 17, 2013, we’ll celebrate the eighth annual Endangered Species Day.

After nearly disappearing from most of the U.S., the bald eagle recovered and was removed from ESA protection in 2007. Photo by Peter Davis, USFWS

And celebration is especially in order as we approach the 40th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act. During the last 40 years, plants and animals have continued to face a barrage of threats – habitat loss, invasive species, pollution and climate change – but the ESA reflects an unwavering national commitment to prevent species extinctions and to protect the habitat and ecosystems essential to species recovery. It is one of the world’s most powerful and successful conservation laws.

That success in saving species from extinction and helping them recover is fueled by the dedication and hard work of employees of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Because of their commitment to conservation, gray wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Western Great Lakes, the American alligator, bald eagle and Tennessee purple coneflower have all fully recovered and no longer need federal protection. We can also celebrate that many other species, such as the black-footed ferret, whooping crane, karner blue butterfly and California condor have been brought back from the very brink of extinction and are making major strides in their path to recovery.   

We have much success to celebrate but also much more work to do. The challenges the conservation world faces are daunting and growing, calling us to be more innovative, to create more conservation incentives and to work even more closely with our partners.    

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David Patte

David Patte, climate change coordinator in the Pacific Region, is just one of many Service employees committed to reducing their carbon footprint while getting plenty of enjoyable exercise in the great outdoors.

Every day, David bikes to work, rain or shine, even in snow and ice.

A little scratch-pad math shows David has ridden nearly 40,000 miles out in Portland, eight miles daily since 1995. He actually has ridden farther because he started commuting by bike when he was here at Headquarters in 1992.

People like David do not need any encouragement to try commuting by bicycle. But others may need a push.

For all those folks, May is National Bike Month, and Friday, May 17, is National Bike to Work Day. Think about cycling and maybe give it a shot.

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Our law enforcement officers are dedicated to protecting our natural heritage. Credit: USFWS

Plants and animals have countless and often ingenious ways to deter predators. Monarch butterflies are toxic; turtles have shells; armadillos curl into a ball; cacti have sharp spines. But these defenses aren’t enough to stave off the ultimate predator:  people.

The human intellect and the technology it commands have been able to overcome almost every defense plants and animals can deploy. Which means that the only defense left to our native plants and animals is humanity itself.

For more than a century, dedicated men and women have been willing to put their lives on the line to protect and defend our natural heritage. All of us in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and across the conservation community contribute to this goal in vital ways. But among us, a few assume the responsibility and risk of putting on a badge and a gun to deter and confront the perpetrators of wildlife crime.

As we celebrate National Police Week (May 12-18), I hope we all will take time to reflect on those who dedicate their careers to conservation law enforcement, especially the officers who died to protect our safety.

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