President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The act mandated steps to protect and restore plants and animals identified as “threatened” or “endangered.” Since then over 1000 fish, mammals, insects, birds, flowers, and other species have been listed.
The good news is that more than 50 of these species have rebounded. The bald eagle is one of them. In 1963, one year after the publication of Silent Spring, 47 nesting pairs of bald eagles were counted in the lower 48 states. In 2007 the bald eagle was “delisted.” You can see them in almost every state. Earlier this year one flew over our house.
Other species that have rebounded are Kirtland’s warbler, Sander’s blue butterfly, the Topeka shinier, the American alligator, and my favorite, the peregrine falcon.
Thank you President Nixon and all the members of Congress who voted for the act.
Information for this post is from the magazine Nature Conservancy, Winter 2023.
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