VOA科学技术2023--Looking at the Endangered Species Act after 50 Years

Looking at the Endangered Species¹ Act after 50 Years

The Endangered Species Act had widespread support when President Richard Nixon signed it into law late in 1973. In the 50 years since, the effects of the legislation² have been both successful and complex.

Most Americans celebrated³ the law that helped save animals such as the bald eagle and bison. But when the law stood in the way of economic progress, many questioned whether it was too strong.

The act took effect around the same time as other laws designed to protect natural resources such as water, air and the wilderness⁴. In the 1960s and 1970s, no other country in the world had put such wide protections into place.

Concerns came later when the law prevented projects such as a hydroelectric dam in Tennessee from moving forward. The concern? A small river fish no one had ever heard of.

That fish is called the snail⁵ darter. Plans to protect the fish held up progress on the Tellico Dam for more than two years. Biologists eventually decided⁶ to catch the small fish and move it to other rivers.

The fish population grew over time and the snail darters were removed from the endangered species list in 1984. About one year ago, the fish had fully⁷ recovered.

Jim Williams was the first so-called "fish guy" in the Office of Endangered Species. When his group listed the fish, he recalled, the decision made a lot of people upset.

He said his director told him not to list the fish. But Williams said he planned to follow the law and make decisions based on facts, not on possible public reaction.

The snail darter decision showed the U.S. government that the law was going to be difficult to manage. Some said the government should not try to save all species. Others said all animals and plants should be safe from extinction⁸. The debate continues today.

Many more disputes over the protection of species came up over the next 45 years. In each case, employees at the Endangered Species Office made decisions that upset some people but ultimately⁹ saved the animals.

Gray wolves

In northern Minnesota in the 1980s, the gray wolf population had recovered from only around a few hundred to about 1,000. The Endangered Species Act had helped save the gray wolf.

With the population growing, people wanted permission to hunt the animals. The Fish and Wildlife Service sought to cooperate with the state of Minnesota and open the gray wolf to hunting.

The move required a regulation showing that a hunting season would help the wolves and was the only way to control their population.

Ron Nowak was a wolf expert in the Endangered Species Office at the time. The Fish and Wildlife Service told Nowak to write the regulation. "And I said, ‘It would be illegal,'" Nowak said.

The Fish and Wildlife Service found someone else to write the regulation. Conservation groups took legal action and called Nowak as a witness. He traveled to Minnesota to tell the government that wolves should not be open to hunting.

California condor¹⁰

LaVerne Smith started working in the Endangered Species Office in 1978. Soon after came a major decision involving the California condor, the largest bird native to North America. By 1982, only 23 California condors¹¹ were left. Biologists were looking at whether the species could be saved.

The office made a plan to move the remaining birds into a safe and closed area and breed them.

The plan worked. Today, there are more than 400 California condors. They can even be seen flying over the Grand Canyon¹².

Smith said, "the day I saw one sail over the Grand Canyon, I was like, ‘Oh my God! That was all worth it.'"

Later in her career, Smith led the effort to list the polar bear as endangered. It marked the first time an animal was listed as endangered because of climate change.

Freshwater mussels

Marc Imlay began working at the Endangered Species Office in 1971, two years before the current Endangered Species Act was passed.

Imlay is an expert on mollusks – small animals including snails¹³, mussels and slugs. He had concerns that hydroelectric dams were putting freshwater mussels in danger in states such as Missouri and Tennessee.

At one point, Imlay decided to make a phone call to a conservation group in Missouri to tell them that a planned dam would put the mussels in danger.

The call worked. He got locals to pay attention to the organism and the dam was stopped. In time, his work prevented a number of dams from being built.

While some could argue that Imlay slowed economic progress, he said in other cases he found a way to help development move forward.

"Time and time again," he said, "you can work with a developer" to save high-quality land.

Words in This Story

species—n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

manage –v. to oversee¹⁴ or run

regulation –n. a law or rule

conservation –adj. dealing¹⁵ with the protection of nature

breed –v. to put two animals together with the goal of mating them and creating young

1 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

2 legislation   

n.立法，法律的制定；法规，法律

参考例句：

• They began to draft legislation.他们开始起草法规。
• The liberals band together against the new legislation.自由党员联合一致反对新的立法。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

5 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

9 ultimately   

adv.最后地，最终地，首要地，基本地

参考例句：

• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience.那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。
• Vitamin C deficiency can ultimately lead to scurvy.缺乏维生素C最终能道致坏血病。

10 condor   

n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币

参考例句：

• The condor soars above the mountain heights.禿鹰翱翔于高山之上。
• A condor prepares to fly in Colombia.一只兀鹰在哥伦比亚准备振翅高飞。

11 condors   

n.神鹰( condor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What would our condors feed on if no one was in danger? 你不发生危险，那我们秃鹰吃啥呢？ 来自互联网
• Yo mama so fat she has been declared a natural habitat for Condors. Yomama是如此之肥，她被定为秃鹰的自然栖息地。 来自互联网

12 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

13 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

15 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。