Fish and Wildlife Service Celebrates Endangered Species Day
Wisconsin sees progress with whooping cranes,
Kirtland’s warblers, Karner blue butterflies
On May 15, 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will honor Endangered Species Day and the numerous nationwide conservation programs underway aimed at protecting America’s threatened and endangered species.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA), one of the most important environmental laws in history and is credited with saving 99.9 percent of species protected by the ESA from extinction. Co-administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the purpose of the ESA is to conserve imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.
When Congress passed the ESA in 1973, it formally established that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” It also expressed concern that many of our nation’s native fish, wildlife, and plants were in danger of becoming extinct.
“The Endangered Species Act is the nation’s premier law protecting biodiversity today,” said Acting Fish and Wildlife Service Director Rowan Gould. “Without this law, we would probably not see bald eagles soaring in our skies or grizzlies in Yellowstone. Endangered Species Day provides an opportunity to celebrate our shared successes and look forward to a strengthened partnership with the American public to conserve our natural treasures of fish, wildlife, and plants.”
There are 15 federally listed threatened and endangered species and three candidate species that occur in Wisconsin . Endangered species highlights in Wisconsin include:
• The Service continues to work with partners to establish a migratory flock of whooping cranes that breed in Wisconsin and winter in Florida. Currently this flock numbers 79 cranes.
• The first successful record of Kirtlands warbler reproduction in Wisconsin was documented in 2008. This represents an expansion of the breeding range of this endangered warbler outside of Michigan where the majority of Kirtlands warblers make their summer home and is important to the recovery of the species.
• Karner blue butterfly conservation and recovery remains strong in Wisconsin. There are now 40 partners to the Wisconsin Statewide Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan, an important blueprint for maintaining the butterfly on the Wisconsin landscape. Good land stewards like Fort McCoy, the Wisconsin DNR, and Necedah National Wildlife Refuge are helping to recover the Karner blue through monitoring and management programs. In addition, private landowners are restoring habitat for the butterfly with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.
The Service works with other federal agencies, State and tribal governments, environmental organizations, industry groups, species experts, academia, the scientific community, and other members of the public to conserve our Nation’s threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants.
The bald eagle, grizzly bear, American alligator and gray wolf are all species which once found themselves on the list, facing the brink of extinction but have successfully rebounded. The wood stork, Kirtland’s warbler, Louisiana black bear and Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle are listed species that are showing good progress towards achieving recovery – the ultimate goal of the ESA. These recovered and recovering species are just a few examples of those benefiting from the protections afforded by the ESA and the dedicated people who work to ensure their continued existence.
There are currently 1,317 species listed in the U.S.: 746 plants and 571 animals. To find out more about endangered species in Wisconsin and around the country, visit http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov
