Endangered Species Act Signed Thirty Years Ago Today

The 1973 Endangered Species Act provided for the conservation of ecosystems upon which threatened and endangered species of fish, wildlife, and plants depend, both through Federal action and by encouraging the establishment of State programs. The Act:

• authorizes the determination and listing of species as endangered and threatened;

• prohibits unauthorized taking, possession, sale, and transport of endangered species;

• provides authority to acquire land for the conservation of listed species, using land and water conservation funds;

• authorizes establishment of cooperative agreements and grants-in-aid to States that establish and maintain active and adequate programs for endangered and threatened wildlife and plants;

• authorizes the assessment of civil and criminal penalties for violating the Act or regulations; and

• authorizes the payment of rewards to anyone furnishing information leading to arrest and conviction for any violation of the Act or any regulation issued thereunder.

The Peregrine falcon, featured today, was one of the first species listed as Endangered under the act. Long-lived pesticides such as DDT accumulated in falcon food chains causing the "pesticide raptor syndrome." Females were unable to produce a sufficient egg shell, resulting in the eggs cracking during incubation. Populations crashed throughout much of the bird's range by the 1960s, with no successful nesting east of the Mississippi River by 1965.

WPC has worked with volunteers and the staff at Gulf Tower to provide a successful nesting site for the past 13 years. Two years ago, the first eggs were successfully hatched at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. Peregrines have been tracked through banding ( see photos of a Pitt Peregrine nesting under Niagara Falls ) and using satellite telemetry .

Today's photo was taken by Branden Holden perching under Niagara Falls. The red and white band indicated the female peregrine hatched at University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in Oakland, Pa.

Help WPC continue its work.

Read more about WPC's Accomplishments in 2003 and our Goals for 2004.

See a slideshow - WPC -- The Year in Review

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