Endangered Species Act Essay

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, otherwise known as The ESA, was amended on December 28th, 1973 after the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 was repealed. Prior to the Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969, the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 was in place. The purpose of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is to protect species that are endangered and to protect the environment and ecosystems in which these species live.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was first introduced to the United States Senate by a man named Harrison Williams, from New Jersey, on June 12th, 1973. The vote to pass The ESA was unanimous (92-0), and the ESA was passed through the Senate on July 24th, 1973. After being passed in the Senate, the Act had to go to the House of Representatives. The majority in the House of Representatives (390-12) voted in favor of the act. On September 18th, 1973, The Endangered Species Act of 1973, had made it past the House. On December 19th, 1973, the Act was reported by the Joint Conference Committee. Also on December 19th, 1973, the Senate agreed on the

The Bald Eagle, Florida Panther, The Gray Wolf, The Grizzly Bear and The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker are a few successful examples of the species this act has helped out. In the case of The Bald Eagle, only about 500 total Bald Eagles could be found in the 1960’s. Dangerous, commonly used pesticides were to blame for the dwindling numbers of these birds. The reason these pesticides were so dangerous is that the Eagle’s egg shells were thinned which caused the young Eagles to die or be killed sooner. The Endangered Species Act has made it possible through capitive breeding and habitat protection, for the Bald Eagle’s number of population to skyrocket. According to nwf.org, there are approximately 7,000 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles