Delisting the Bald Eagle a Sign of ESA Success

It looks like the Bald Eagle is going to be delisted today as an endangered species. Have no fear; the bird will still be protected.

Delisting is actually a good thing; it not only means the Bald Eagle has made a substantial recovery, but it gives the lie to the folks that say animals never come off the list and the Endangered Species Act does not work. In fact, the ESA is one of the most important and successful pieces of conservation legislation ever enacted.

This is not to say that everything said about the Bald Eagle is entirely true. The thing that knocked the Bald Eagle over the edge, for example, was not DDT, but lead shot and leghold traps. For more on that, see You Gotta Break Some Eggs to Build a Movement

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