Endangered List May Graduate Several Species

National Wildlife, August, 1998

NWF is applauding the government's proposal to remove more than two- dozen species, including the bald eagle and peregrine falcon, from the federal Endangered Species List. However, the Federation maintains that continued vigilance is needed to keep these species on the road to recovery.

The bald eagle has returned from the brink of extinction in the lower 48 states thanks to the Endangered Species Act and the banning of DDT. But it is still threatened by toxic pollution in the Great Lakes region and other prime habitats, and by congressional efforts to weaken the law.

NWF has pledged to review the delisting proposal species by species with scientific experts to ensure that each change of status is warranted. "If the science shows we've gotten these species off the critical list, then it's time to let them out of intensive care and in some cases out of the hospital altogether," says NWF President Mark Van Putten. "There are plenty of other species that need to get in."