Supporting the designation of May 15, 2026, as “Endangered Species Day”.

Supporting the designation of May 15, 2026, as “Endangered Species Day”.

Whereas plants and wildlife provide incalculable services for humankind, including health, cultural, economic, recreational, and spiritual benefits, among others;

Whereas, in the United States and around the world, more than 2,300 species are recognized as at risk of extinction now or in the foreseeable future, and many more are experiencing declines in populations and future viability;

Whereas the planet is experiencing a biodiversity crisis, which many scientists conclude is the sixth mass extinction event, with plant and wildlife species across the globe facing heightened risk of extinction;

Whereas the United States has prioritized the conservation and recovery of imperiled species by enacting the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and other landmark conservation statutes;

Whereas conservation and protection efforts implemented under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) have successfully prevented the extinction of 99 percent of species designated as a threatened species or an endangered species, including the American bald eagle, loggerhead sea turtle, California condor, gray whale, whooping crane, Florida manatee, black-footed ferret, and Atlantic sturgeon;

Whereas many at-risk species have significant cultural and subsistence values to Tribal, indigenous, and Native Alaskan communities, whose Tribal leadership, ancestral lands, and traditional ecological knowledge play an invaluable role in species conservation and recovery;

Whereas species protection has secured economic growth in wildlife-related tourism and recreational economies, which supports millions of American jobs; and

Whereas the recovery of species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is a remarkable success that should be celebrated: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) supports the designation of “Endangered Species Day”;

(2) recognizes the intrinsic value of plants and wildlife as part of the United States environmental heritage and the invaluable role that the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) has played in safeguarding at-risk species; and

(3) acknowledges the continued importance of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and other conservation measures to protect threatened species and endangered species and address the biodiversity crisis.