Tim Johnson, CEO of the Native Plant Trust, has issued a statement and call to action on a proposal from the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, both institutions “under new management”, set forth below. Clicking on to to the Share Your Comments link brings you to the Federal Register site, and comments need not be lengthy or complicated, but the more people adding their objections to the bill, the better. Comments close on May 19, so take a moment now to support the environment:
| In April, the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service announced their intention to weaken the power of the Endangered Species Act by no longer recognizing the harmful effects of changing or destroying the habitat of endangered species. Those of us in the conservation community fear that such a change will mean that federal regulators will ignore the impact of habitat loss–the number one cause of species extinction–when considering mining, logging, and development on ecologically sensitive lands. The Endangered Species Act was voted into law by Congress in 1973. It is designed to protect and conserve endangered and threatened species and their habitats so that these species can be spared from extinction. To state the obvious, a species cannot survive without its habitat. A forest cannot survive in a parking lot. Fish cannot survive in a drained pond. This change to the Endangered Species Act would be catastrophic for endangered species everywhere. Excluding damage to habitat when considering the impact of human activities on endangered species unravels the very fabric of the law and its intent. At present, there are 944 species, varieties, and subspecies of plants on the endangered species list, including the globally rare Astragalus robbinsii var. jesupii (Jesup’s milk vetch) a species Native Plant Trust has worked hard to protect from climate change-induced habitat loss and flooding through seed banking, reintroduction, and invasive species control for more than 20 years. Without the habitat protection afforded this species through the Endangered Species Act, the habitat this species occupies could be destroyed. Without that habitat, Jesup’s milk vetch will go extinct in the wild. The same goes for hundreds of other species. Your voice matters. I ask you to use it now on behalf of endangered species across the country. Sharing your opinion about this proposed change before the public comment period ends on May 19. Tell those in power that biodiversity matters to you and that you are paying attention to the plight of endangered and threatened plants and animals. |
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