Name 3 endangered species? What is a vector, in relation to
invasive species? Give an example. How would you classify a species
as being endangered and what should be done to protect these
species?
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A National law passed in 1973 that protects species that are in
danger of extinction. Species considered at risk of extinction are
classified as either endangered, threatened, or candidate
species.
Slide 5
Endangered- a species in immediate jeopardy of survival and
reproduction. Threatened- a species likely to become endangered.
Candidate Species- a species not on the ESA list, but still might
need protection Do you want to face Joe Pa if the mountain lion
goes extinct?
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To boast populations to a self-sustaining level. What does that
mean? In order to achieve the goal each species must have a
recovery plan that determines what it needs to be delisted.
Slide 8
The best way to protect a species is usually through protecting
habitat vital to its existence known as Critical Habitat
(Determined by Dept. of Interior) Once a species is listed, no
branch of government can proceed with a project that might harm the
organism.
Slide 9
Status of a species is review by the National Marine Fisheries
Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Examples of species
under ESA: California condor, Florida panther, gray wolf, manatee
Some animals are in captive breeding programs (animals breed in a
human protected environments to increase the population) California
condor, black footed ferret.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_MbT3c-MhU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWVdJPF-r3c
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David Etnier Read the passage individually. With a partner
answer the following questions on the back of the worksheet. You
each need to write your own answers, but you may confer with your
partner if you wish. Make sure to answer the questions fully!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD Xs3bjX7Dw
Slide 13
Mr. President, I hope this is the last time around. I hope we
can resolve this issue once and for all, and I hope reason will
finally prevail.... Mr. President, the awful beast is back. The
Tennessee snail darter, the bane of my existence, the nemesis of my
golden years, the bold perverter of the Endangered Species Act is
back. He is still insisting that the Tellico Dam on the Little
Tennessee River, a dam that is now 99% complete, be destroyed. In
the midst of a national energy crisis, the snail darter demands
that we scuttle a project that would produce 200 million kilowatt
hours of hydroelectric power and save an estimated 15 million
gallons of oil. Although other residences have been found in which
he can thrive serenely, the snail darter stubbornly insists on
keeping this particular stretch of the Little Tennessee River as
his principal domicile.... Let me stress again, Mr. President, that
this is fine with me. I have nothing personal against the snail
darter. He seems to be quite a nice little fish, as fish go. Now
seriously Mr. President, the snail darter has become an unfortunate
example of environmental extremism, and this kind of extremism, if
rewarded and allowed to persist, will spell the doom to the
environmental protection movement in this country more surely and
more quickly than anything else.... We who voted for the Endangered
Species Act with the honest intentions of protecting such glories
of nature as the wolf, the eagle, and other treasures have found
that extremists with wholly different motives are using this noble
act for meanly obstructive ends....
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Snail Darter Relocated The fish was found to be living in other
streams Delisted from ESA in 1980s...Doing Fine Fish is happy,
workers are happy, but people still lost their homes
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The 1978 amendment to the ESA "attempts to retain the basic
integrity of the ESA, while introducing some flexibility which will
permit exemptions from the Act's stringent requirements. The most
important change that was brought about by the 1978 amendment was
the creation of the Endangered Species Committee, known as the "God
Squad" because of the substantial impact of its decisions on the
natural world. The God Squad is a committee composed of seven
Cabinet-level members: The administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency, the administrator of National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the chairman of the Council of Economic
Advisers, a representative from the state in question, the
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of the Army, and the
Secretary of the Interior. This committee has the authority to
allow the exemption by exempting a federal agency from Section 7
requirements. To exempt a species, five of the seven members must
vote in favor of the exemption. The following conditions must be
met for a species to be considered for exemption: There must be no
reasonable alternative to the agencies action The benefits of the
action must outweigh the benefits of an alternative action where
the species is conserved The action is of regional or national
importance Neither the federal agency or the exemption applicant
made irreversible commitment to the resources. Also, mitigation
efforts must be taken to reduce the negative effects on the
endangered species.
Slide 17
Under ESA, a project may not take place that can harm a
protected organism or its critical habitat; however, many federal
projects are allowed to continue. Snail Darter and Tellico Dam (pg
73) Desert Tortoise pg. 80 ESA is a powerful land law which has
been abused to stop unwanted development. ESA does require a
balancing of species protection with economic development.
Slide 18
1983-"minimize and mitigate" the impact of the permitted take
on the listed species. The principle is that some individuals of a
species or portions of their habitat may be expendable over the
short term, as long as enough protection is provided to ensure the
long term recovery of the species. Allows for Incidental Take,
which is a certain number of the animal may be taken if otherwise
lawful activities are occurring
Slide 19
Over 1200 species protected by the ESA 9 species listed have
gone extinct. 15 on the list have completely recovered. Bald Eagle,
American Alligator, Peregrine Falcon 256 candidate species waiting
to be listed due to lack of time and money (there may be many more
out there) 34 went extinct during the 80s waiting to be listed
Slide 20
1. Law has been abused for other agendas* 2. Some species
receive all the attention and money Cal. Condor - $25 milSpotted
Owl 16.8 mil. 3. Some say that we should focus on ecosystems
instead of species.
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1) Loss of Habitat (main cause) - as the human population
grows, there is less habitat for all other species. 2) Human
exploitation - hunting, trapping, etc. Example: wolf, ocelot.
Poaching - illegal hunting, is a problem in other countries (lions,
tigers, elephants) 3) Introduced species A) Out compete for space
and resources B) Overgrazing by livestock C) Disease carried by
other organisms *** Extinction is a natural process but greatly
accelerated by humans.