TAKE-ACTION TOOLBOX #1: DEFEND THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT

The Endangered Species Act is a remarkable success. A new Center for Biological Diversity analysis of 110 species finds that 90 percent are recovering on pace to meet recovery goals set by federal scientists.

Simply put, it's the most powerful tool for protecting and saving species at the brink of extinction. Wolves, whooping cranes, panthers, sea lions and species in all 50 states are improving because of the Act. From the Key deer in Florida to the Aleutian Canada goose in Alaska, the Act has saved more than 99 percent of the 1,482 species under its care from extinction.

But some members of Congress have attacked the Act, falsely claiming it's a failure and using specious arguments to call for gutting crucial parts of this life-saving law.

The Center has been at the forefront of Endangered Species Act protection, petitioning for thousands of species, protecting habitat and filing litigation against those agencies that fail to uphold the Act. Likewise, the Center is dedicated to protecting the Act itself.

Our new report is a science-based rebuttal to attacks on the Act by critics like Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, who says the Act is “failing badly” because only 1 percent of species have been recovered. The report finds that 80 percent of species haven't been listed long enough to reach their projected delisting date but that, again and again, species are on a positive trajectory toward recovery.

It's time to celebrate the success of the Act and to defend it from those who want to tear it down. Click here to locate endangered species where you live, and please take a moment to write your senators or a letter to your local newspaper.