Endangered Species Act turns 50 

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Dec. 28 marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1973 and according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s website, the purpose of the act “is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend.”

The Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service administer the ESA.

According to the nonprofit Property and Environment Research Center, over the past 50 years, 1,732 domestic species have been listed under the Endangered Species Act. Of these, 57 (3% of all listed species) have recovered, while 11 (1%) have gone extinct. Most listed species (73%) are classified as endangered, meaning they are in danger of extinction. The remaining species are considered threatened, meaning they are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. 

Fifty-nine species have been upgraded from endangered to threatened in that period.

Species listed include animals, plants and fungi. 

Many states have their own endangered species lists and legislation.

California Endangered Species Act (CESA) lists species which are endangered, threatened and of special concern. The list includes ones whose population numbers are considered healthy outside of California but are of concern in the state. 

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife the CESA was enacted in 1970 but was repealed and replaced by an updated version in 1984 and amended in 1997. Approximately 250 species are currently listed under CESA.

In 2022 the San Benito evening primrose was taken off the federal list, following decades of conservation efforts on public and private land. It was placed on the list in 1985.

Some of the species found in San Benito County that are on the federal and/or state lists include: California condor, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, San Joaquin kit fox, giant kangaroo rat, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, San Joaquin coachwhip (snake), Swainson’s hawk, bald eagle (federally delisted; still CESA listed), tri-colored blackbird and  western bumble bee. California Fish and Wildlife is currently considering listing the western spadefoot (toad).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists the causes for species becoming threatened or endangered as:

1. Present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range
2. Over-utilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes
3. Disease or predation
4. Inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms 
5. Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence

Other wildlife conservation laws

The ESA was not the first federal conservation law or protection. Several existed before 1973 including:

Lacey Act (1900)

First Federal Bird Reservation on Pelican Island (1903) 

Migratory Bird Act (1934)

Endangered Species Preservation Act (1967)

National Environmental Policy Act (1969)

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