[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 70 (Thursday, May 19, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3164-S3165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, tomorrow, on the sixth annual Endangered 
Species Day, we as a nation have a twofold opportunity. First, we have 
the chance to celebrate the successful recovery of a remarkable number 
of plant and animal species worldwide. Second, we have the opportunity 
to pause in acknowledgement of the hard work that still lies ahead of 
us on behalf of the nearly two thousand species that are endangered or 
threatened today.
  Since its enactment in 1973, the Endangered Species Act, ESA, has 
helped to recover such iconic species as the gray whale, the peregrine 
falcon, and the bald eagle. In 1967, the bald eagle, one of our 
Nation's most recognizable symbols, was in danger from environmental 
contaminants, human intrusion, and other risk factors, and was listed 
for protection under the ESA. Through its careful, science-based 
approach, ESA management ultimately resulted in the successful recovery 
of bald eagle populations across the country. The bald eagle was 
delisted in 2007 and is now thriving. In the State of Maryland, the 
Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge in Maryland is home to a healthy, 
flourishing bald eagle population. More recently the gray wolf, which 
was completely extirpated from our Northern Rockies States, is now 
recovering thanks to the careful protective management of the Fish and 
Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
  The ESA provides resources and structure that are critical to our 
ability to improve the outcomes for threatened and endangered species. 
Since becoming law 38 years ago, with overwhelming support in the House 
of Representatives and unanimous support in the Senate, the ESA has 
been one of our Nation's most successful environmental statutes. The 
ESA not only improves outcomes for endangered and threatened species, 
it also improves local and regional economies. According to a 2006 Fish 
and Wildlife Service survey, wildlife-related recreation--meaning 
hunting, fishing and wildlife watching--generated more than $122 
billion in revenues in 2006. In my home State of Maryland, wildlife 
watching generated over $1 billion in revenues in 2006, according to 
the same survey. This wildlife-related spending supports hundreds of 
thousands of jobs.
  The Endangered Species Act, with its proven record of success in 
restoring species to health, remains a critically important tool in the 
protection of our natural environment. At this moment, nearly 2,000 
animal and plant species are endangered or threatened worldwide--the 
protections of the ESA are therefore as important as ever. This 
Endangered Species Day, even as we celebrate the successes of our 
Nation's conservation efforts, let us also remember and pledge to 
protect the robust, science-based legislation that made those successes 
possible.

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