The Endangered Species Act: Four Decades of Conservation Success

When President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act on December 28, 1973, the bald eagle, gray wolf and peregrine falcon were struggling to survive in the Midwest and across the continent. Forty years later, thanks to protection afforded by the Endangered Species Act, these species have recovered. The Midwest is home to a huge variety of wildlife; some are instantly recognizable, like the bald eagle, and some rare species are not so well known.

Around the Midwest are stories of creative approaches to conserving rare plants and wildlife. In Illinois, in the shadow of downtown Chicago, efforts are underway to help to the Hine's emerald dragonfly, the only endangered dragonfly, the threatened lakeside daisy and the endangered leafy prairie clover. In Wisconsin, partners around the state have committed to conserve the Karner blue butterfly, enrolling more than 800,000 acres of land in a statewide habitat conservation plan for the species.

Freshwater mussels, sometimes called silent sentinels because of their sensitivity to water pollution, are responding to recovery efforts in Minnesota, where partners are raising and releasing juvenile Higgins eye and winged mapleleaf pearlymussels into the Mississippi River. In Ohio, the purple cat