Biological diversity provides food, fiber, medicines, clean water, and many other products and services we depend upon every day. Yet nearly one-third of native species in the United States are at risk of disappearing. The Sound Science Initiative addresses this issue primary through invasive species legislation and regulation and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

The ESA was signed into law by President Nixon in 1973 and has provided protection to our most threatened and endangered species for more than 30 years—it is a cornerstone of our country’s most basic environmental protections. Though it is difficult to accurately measure the success of legislation that protects only the most desperately compromised species, it is clear that the ESA has given new hope for sustained survival to hundreds of species that were on the brink of extinction.

In March 2006, more than 5,700 scientists with biological expertise from across the country joined an important effort to ensure that the ESA continues to conserve biodiversity by using the best available science. The Letter from Biologists to the U.S. Senate Concerning Science in the Endangered Species Act highlights the importance of independent scientific principles that are critical to species conservation.

Opportunities for Action

There are many ways for scientists to inform policy makers about the importance of science and scientists to protecting species and their habitats. Here are a few timely suggestions. For more ideas, please see the Tips and Tools section or contact us at ssi@ucsusa.org

Action #1: If you are not already a signer, add your name to the Biologists Letter Concerning Science in the ESA. The letter is open to biologists with or working towards an advanced degree or those who have extensive life experience working in the field that provides particular knowledge of species and their habitats.

Action #2: Write to your members of Congress about the importance of sound science to the Endangered Species Act. If you are a letter signer, be sure to mention it, as well as your field of expertise, and consider printing out and sending the signatures from your region or state. Find your legislators’ information.

Action #3: Monitor your local paper for stories about endangered species and write a letter to the editor. Tips on writing LTEs.

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Suggested Talking Points

• The Endangered Species Act is a safety net for wildlife—animals, plants, and fish that are on the brink of extinction
  
  
• The Endangered Species Act and other efforts to protect our web of life depend on good science. That’s why I’ve joined with more than 5,700 of my colleagues in a letter to the U.S. Senate concerning the importance of science to the protection of species and their habitats.  [find the number of signers from your state]
  
  
• The tremendous response from the scientific community demonstrates the concern among scientists that wildlife and plants may go extinct without the strong independent scientific principles embodied in the Endangered Species Act.
  
  
• We must protect species and their habitats because they provide food, fiber, medicines, clean water, and many other products and services on which we depend every day.

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Current Legislation

New legislation that would weaken the ESA and cripple federal efforts to protect and preserve wildlife and their habitats is currently making its way through Congress. Last fall the House passed H.R. 3824, Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005, which was introduced and fast-tracked through committee and floor votes by House Resources Committee Chair Richard Pombo (R-CA). This bill, which includes the biggest changes to the law since its enactment 32 years ago, is an assault on species and science alike. First, it removes the protection for habitat that species need for survival and recovery. Second, it threatens the scientific underpinnings of the ESA, most notably by allowing political appointees—rather than scientists—to decide what is the best science available, by restricting the application of important scientific tools, and by discounting the importance of scientists’ involvement in recovery planning.

The bill passed the House 229-193 on September 29, 2005, and attention is now focused on the Senate. It is not clear when the Senate will take up ESA reauthorization, but the effort is expected to face a much tougher battle. 

It now seems unlikely that any overt action to weaken the scientific underpinnings of the ESA will be attempted before Congress recesses prior to the November 2006 elections. Several Senate offices commented that the letter from biologists was a much-needed and influential counterweight to efforts from industry and others to change the way science and scientists are used under the ESA. UCS will continue to monitor this precarious situation.

Senators Call for Additional ESA Funding
Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) organized 27 other senators to write a letter to the leaders of the Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee echoing many of our concerns and calling for more funds for the Endangered Species Act. The subcommittee determines the amount of money allocated to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species program.

Senate Declares May 11 Endangered Species Day
On April 6, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating May 11 as “Endangered Species Day” to educate the American public about the importance of protecting endangered species and their habitat.  The resolution was introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and was co-sponsored by Senators Chafee and Clinton as well as Senators Joe Biden (D-DE), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Russell Feingold (D-WI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Read more about the resolution

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Materials & Resources

Biologists Letter Concerning Science in the ESA

Endangered Species Act: An Overview

Endangered Species Coalition’s analysis of H.R. 3824
 
Text of H.R. 3824, Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005