Eagle taking flight. This photo, by Robert Miller, is from the National Wildlife Photo Contest.

The bald eagle has been protected for some 95 years, but continued killing was the primary cause for passage of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act in 1940. While that helped, an even bigger challenge in the mid-20^th century was the widespread use of DDT, which led to a dangerously low population of 500 or fewer bald eagle pairs in the lower-48 states by 1963. Under the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, a precursor to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the bald eagle was officially declared an endangered species in 1967.

Road to Recovery

Enactment of the Endangered Species Act and the banning of DDT were both critical actions that lead to the recovery of the bald eagle. With the banning in 1972 of DDT — the cause of egg-shell thinning and breakage — the stage was set for nationwide efforts to recover the bald eagle via the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lead extensive efforts with the National Wildlife Federation and others to facilitate recovery of the bald eagle. These efforts included captive breeding programs, reintroductions, law enforcement, and nest site protection.

The National Wildlife Federation toured the country with a captive bald eagle named Migisiwa to increase public awareness and support for recovery of bald eagles.  We also posted a $1,000 award for anyone providing information leading to conviction for killing a bald eagle.

The National Wildlife Federation undertook efforts in the field to help bald eagles recover in the Chesapeake Bay. We also started the nationwide Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey in 1979 to monitor bald eagle populations, coordinating it until 1992, whereupon it was handed over to the federal government for continuation.

A bald eagle in flight. This photo, by Clinton Ferrara, is from the National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act by learning more about Endangered Species Day and threatened wildlife in your state, and spread the word about this incredibly important legislation.

Endangered Short-Tailed Albatross

My favorite quote is from Baba Dioum, “in the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand and we will understand only what we are taught”. We haven’t all been taught the significance of the Endangered Species Act, or the importance of supporting listed species. Therefore, the greatest thing we can do to honor Endangered Species Day is to educate ourselves and those around us to raise awareness.

Find out what’s in your state. Find out what endangered species live near you, learn their story and find out how you can help: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/

Also check out this interactive map of species success stories: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/map/index.html

I chose to learn more about a species in my home state. The Borax Lake Chub is unique to a single lake in Oregon. I learned the lake is one of the most unusual fish habitats in the United States because it is fed primarily by thermal springs. Drilling for energy development threatened the survival of the fish, and emergency listing as endangered saved the species. Great first date conversation material.

Let people know on Facebook. This is the place to really show people what’s important to you. We’ve designed a few Facebook cover photos for you to use, or design your own! Post information and photos about endangered species and tag @National Wildlife Federation to share with our community. I’ll be using this cover photo.

Here’s an example of a Facebook cover photo supporting an endangered species.

Finally, take a loot at these 5 Ways to Celebrate Endangered Species Day.

At the National Wildlife Federation–we want to know about the endangered species you care about, whether you tweet it, share it on Facebook, post a blog or even a comment below! (Also- be sure to join the fun even if you aren’t in the US! We would love to hear from you too)

If you are on Twitter, help us spread the word! Copy and paste this into your “tweet” window:

Happy Endangered Species Day!

Once believed to be extinct, black-footed ferrets are slowly recovering with the help of captive breeding programs. This photo of a mother and her four kits was taken in a "preconditioning pen" at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Conservation Center in Colorado where captive bred ferrets learn to survive in their natural habitat before being released into the wild at reintroduction sites. Photo by Mike Lockhart.

May 18 – Endangered Species Day

This Endangered Species Day, help raise awareness about imperiled animals and plants in your area and about the importance of wildlife conservation. Learn how to get involved at www.nwf.org/esday
 

This Photo of the Day was donated by a participant in the annual National Wildlife Photo Contest. See more photos or sign up for the 42nd Annual National Wildlife Photo Contest.

Green sea turtle on Hawaii's Punalu'u beach. Credit: Flickr (The Shifted Librarian)

Far from the everyday hustle and bustle of my city life, the slow motion dance of these turtles was captivating. My book laid ignored on my beach towel, while I crouched on the rocks and watched their every move.  Other tourists came and went, my husband retreated back to the shade and his book, but I could have stayed there all day.

Perhaps it was because we usually don’t have the chance to be close to larger animals in the wild. Sure, we can see birds, squirrels and butterflies all around us.  But there’s just something extraordinary about communing with a fully grown sea turtle.

Or, perhaps it was the seemingly timeless nature of the turtles. My daily stresses seemed trivial in the presence of these animals. Sea turtles have been navigating our oceans and beaches for 150 million years. The trials and tribulations of humanity are a just a blink of time compared to what the turtles have witnessed.

Sea turtles at risk of extinction

Yet, today, sea turtles have every reason to be concerned about humanity. Turtles are one of many species bearing the brunt of the human footprint on the planet. Of the seven sea turtle species, three are listed as critically endangered (Kemp’s ridley, hawksbill, leatherback), two as endangered (loggerhead and green turtle), and one as vulnerable (olive ridley) on the IUCN’s Red List.  The last species (flatback) lacks sufficient data to make a determination about its vulnerability.

Environmental hazards face the sea turtles at nearly every turn, as a recent NWF report Sea Turtle Homecoming, Class of 2010 outlines. Beach habitat is critical for sea turtle nesting, yet development on coasts and armoring of beachfront property with sea walls have significantly degraded or destroyed many important nesting areas. Meanwhile harmful fishing practices, marine debris, and oil spills have posed threats to the marine environments frequented by turtles. Indeed, during the 6 months following the BP oil spill, more than 600 sea turtles were found dead in the vicinity of the spill. 

To make matters worse, sea turtles now have to contend with climate change. Increasing air and ground temperatures have already affected the incubation of turtle hatchlings. Embryos developing at higher temperatures toward the top of the nest are more likely to become females, while those developing in the cooler lower reaches of the nest are more likely to become males. The ratio of females to males is already getting out of balance in some areas because of warming. At the same time, sea-level rise is eroding the beaches where turtles nest, threatening further habitat loss. 

Climate change is also affecting the marine environments and food sources upon which sea turtles depend. Of particular concern is the potential for increasing sea temperatures and ocean acidification to significantly degrade coral systems, an important feeding area for turtles.

Daily inspiration

Before leaving Hawaii, I purchased a print of two sea turtles made by a local artist.  In Hawaiian and translated in English below, the artist wrote “Righteous is the Turtle. Protect him!” Framed and hung at my bedside, this print is a daily reminder to slow down, see the big picture, and at the same time treasure the little moments. And, this print provides a daily inspiration to keep fighting for turtles and all the other righteous creatures.

For more inspiration, please check out these suggestions about how celebrate Endangered Species Day and to raise awareness about protecting endangered species.

All of these photos were donated by past participants in the National Wildlife® Photo Contest. To enter your best shots in this year’s competition, visit the contest site.

Bald Eagle

Devastated by widespread use of DDT, the number of nesting pairs of bald eagles outside Alaska declined to just 417 by 1963. When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, the raptor was listed as endangered throughout the Lower 48, except in Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin, where it was designated as threatened. Over the following decades, recovery efforts included captive breeding, reintroductions and protection of breeding sites. Along with a ban on DDT, these efforts paid off: By 2007, the Lower 48 housed 10,000 nesting pairs–a 25-fold increase–and the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. Photo by Robert Palmer.

 Brown Pelican

By the late 1950s, U.S. populations of the brown pelican had crashed as a result of illegal hunting and the use of DDT, which led to fatal thinning of eggshells after parents ingested contaminated fish. In 1970, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the bird as endangered throughout its range. A subsequent ban on DDT, along with transplanting thousands of chicks from Florida to Louisiana, led to a remarkable recovery. In 2009, the brown pelican was removed from the endangered species list. Though pelicans were hit hard by the Gulf oil disaster that began a year later, their numbers in most places are stable or increasing and nesting success is high. Photo by Kelle Herrick.

Whooping Crane

Between 15,000 and 20,000 whooping cranes once ranged widely across North America, from central Canada to Mexico and from Utah to the East Coast. But unregulated hunting and habitat destruction devastated the bird’s populations. By 1941, only 21 whooping cranes remained in the wild. Thanks to reintroductions and other actions under the Endangered Species Act, this elegant bird is beginning to bounce back. Today some 599 cranes live in three separate wild populations. The birds remain at risk—harmed by illegal shooting, habitat loss and degradation, collisions with power lines and other threats—so continued vigilance and conservation funding under the Act remain critical. Photo by Don Kates.

Peregrine Falcon

Another victim of widespread DDT use from the 1940s through the 1960s, the peregrine falcon was nearly wiped out from the continental United States. As top predators, the raptors absorbed large amounts of pesticide from prey such as fish and other birds. DDT killed both adults and offspring, whose shells cracked before hatching. By 1970, no peregrines nested east of the Mississippi River. After DDT was banned in 1972, and the birds were designated as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the raptors began to recover. Today there are thousands of peregrine nest sites nationwide. Photo by Herb Houghton.

Piping Plover

Tiny, well-camouflaged shorebirds, piping plovers are particularly vulnerable to beach goers and their off-road vehicles during the nesting season as well as to coastal development. The birds also are killed by dogs, cats and native predators. In response to steep population declines, the piping plover was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1986 (designated endangered inland and threatened along the Atlantic Coast). Since then, the species has partially recovered. The number of nesting pairs in the Midwest grew from 16 to about 63. On the Atlantic Coast, the number of pairs has increased from 790 to nearly 1,800 today. Photo by Ken Lee.

Help NWF celebrate Endangered Species Day! Learn more about endangered birds and other at-risk plants and animals in your region and share the importance of conserving our nation’s wildlife with your friends and family.

Sources: “The Bald Eagle in America” by NWF staff, National Wildlife, December/January 2010, “Oil Spill Hammers Brown Pelicans” by Laura Tangley, National Wildlife, October/November 2010 and Endangered Species Online Bulletin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, April/May/June 2012.

What do California’s Western Burrowing Owl, Montana’s Trumpeter Swan, and Florida’s River Otter have in common?   They’re all being conserved thanks to the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program! 

Burrowing owls, photo- Rob Palmer

It may be Endangered Species Day- a day to celebrate the successes of the Endangered Species Act- however it’s important to remember that the Endangered Species Act is just one of many conservation programs working to preserve our wildlife heritage.  The Endangered Species Act protects some of our rarest wildlife facing the greatest risk of extinction, however it depends upon other conservation programs that keep wildlife from getting to this dangerous point.

In every state across the nation, the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program works to “keep common species common” or prevent species from becoming endangered or threatened.   States use grants to conserve wildlife populations that are starting to decline and restore or expand key wildlife habitat.  However, that’s not all- when states need extra help conserving endangered species, the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program is there.  Grants are helping the humpback whale and successfully helped the bald eagle along its road to recovery.

The Endangered Species Act and the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program work together to keep our wildlife from becoming extinct.  However, it’s hard for these programs to be successful if they don’t receive sufficient funding. 

>>TAKE ACTION: Help Wildlife this Endangered Species Day!! 

Tell Congress to provide robust funding for endangered species and the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program.

One important way to speak up for wildlife is to make sure that conservation funding for endangered species protection and the State Wildlife Grants Program (which prevents plants and wildlife from becoming endangered) is protected.

Speak Up for Critical Conservation Funding
this Endangered Species Day >>

Tweet it! | Post to Facebook.

The Endangered Species Act

Co-administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the purpose of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is to conserve imperiled species and their habitats. Currently, there are about 1,300 species of plants and wildlife nationwide that are listed as either endangered or threatened.

To date, the Endangered Species Act, which became law in 1973, has helped to prevent the extinction of hundreds of species of plants and wildlife:

5 Endangered Species Act Success Stories

Florida Panther
Habitat loss and uncontrolled hunting reduced the Florida panther to only about 35 animals by the 1980s. Cougars once ranged in the thousands across the eastern United States, but the Florida panther is the only cougar subspecies that still survives east of the Mississippi. Protection of some vital habitat has raised the panther population to some 160 animals in recent years, but habitat loss persists as a critical threat. SPEAK UP FOR ENDANGERED FLORIDA PANTHERS TODAY.

Bald Eagle
As many as 100,000 bald eagles soared over the lower 48 states before Columbus reached the Americas. By 1963, hunting, habitat loss and pesticide contamination had cut the species to just 417 nesting pairs in the continental United States. Under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) initiated captive-breeding programs and habitat protection. A 1972 DDT ban also helped. The bird now numbers nearly 10,000 pairs in the Lower 48 and was delisted in 2007.

Desert Tortoise
Critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act have protected areas vital to the desert tortoise. Although the tortoises can live as long as 100 years, they are not equipped to survive livestock grazing, off-road vehicles, mining and vandalism. The U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service all protect land for this species.

Karner Blue Butterfly
The key to survival for the Karner blue butterfly is a flower, the wild blue lupine, that grows in pine barrens in the upper Midwest and Northeast. Development has reduced lupine numbers, robbing the Karner blue of a vital food and driving it to extinction in three states. Habitat restoration and reintroductions promise to recover the butterfly in some regions.

Gray Bat
Some 2.25 million gray bats once lived in limestone caverns in the southern and midwestern states. Human activity near the caves cut bat numbers to about 128,000 by the time the species was listed in 1976. Since then, with more caves and forests protected under the Endangered Species Act, the bat population has rebounded to an estimated 1.5 million animals.

Wildlife in Trouble

With all these successes, we must not forget about the wildlife that still desperately need our help. One of the most endangered species in the United States is the Hawaiian monk seal.

Hawaiian monk seal

Known to the native Hawaiians as ‘Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua, or “dog that runs in rough water,” the Hawaiian monk seal is near the brink of extinction. In 1976, the Hawaiian monk seal was listed as an endangered species. Today, more than 30 years later, its population is in a crisis situation, with the number of seals left in existence estimated to be only 907.

Significant efforts have been made to enhance the recovery of the species. National Wildlife Federation’s Hawai’i affiliate, the Conservation Council for Hawai’i, has been at the forefront of major campaigns to help recover imperiled Hawaiian plants and animals on the brink of extinction, including the Hawaiian monk seal. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed a recovery plan, which includes designating critical habitat and a captive care program to get pups through the first couple years of life, which is critical to species survival.

American Girl is partnering with National Wildlife Federation to help raise awareness of endangered animals like the Hawaiian monk seal. With the purchase of every Kanani plush monk seal sold in 2011, American Girl is donating $1 (up to a maximum of $100,000) to NWF’s wildlife education programs.

A brown pelican flies above Tampa Bay. Photo by Jim Gray.

This Friday, May 20, 2011, the nation will celebrate Endangered Species Day. Of the nearly 2,000 plant and animal species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act— first passed in 1966 and updated in 1973—few provide better examples of the act’s power to bring species back from the brink than the brown pelican.

Conservation Success Story

By the late 1950s, U.S. populations of the brown pelican had crashed as a result of illegal hunting and, especially, use of the pesticide DDT—which led to fatal thinning of pelican eggshells after parents ingested contaminated fish. Pelicans disappeared entirely from the Pelican State of Louisiana.

In 1970, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) listed the brown pelican as endangered throughout its range. A 1972 ban on DDT—along with transplanting thousands of chicks from Florida to Louisiana—led to remarkable population recoveries. The bird’s range in the east even expanded north to include Maryland and Virginia.

In 1985, Atlantic coast populations of the brown pelican were removed from the endangered species list. In November 2009, the species was removed from the list completely. “They’ve been doing very well,” says biologist Kelly Hornaday of the FWS endangered species program. “Annual surveys by our state partners show either stable or increasing numbers with good nesting success.”

It’s critical that conservation funding for endangered species is protected for the health of wildlife.

TAKE ACTION: Help Wildlife this Endangered Species Day >>

An Unusual Pelican

The brown pelican is unusual among the world’s eight pelican species. Along with the Peruvian pelican—a new species until recently considered the same as the brown pelican—it is the only one that lives strictly in coastal habitats, never venturing more than about 20 miles inland or out to sea.

Brown pelicans feed exclusively on fish they capture by diving headfirst into the water. The birds have excellent eyesight and can spot fish from as high as 60 feet. After nabbing their catch, pelicans scoop or dip the fish into their pouches, rise to the water’s surface, tilt their bills forward to drain the water, then toss their heads up and back to swallow.

It turns out to be true that a pelican’s “bill can hold more than his belly can”: The bird’s pouch can accommodate about three gallons of water while its stomach holds only about one.

Pelicans in the Gulf Oil Spill

The brown pelican was hit hard by the massive Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, which began just over a year ago in April 2010. More than 700 pelicans were collected in the vicinity of the spill, two-thirds of them dead. Oil also contaminated mangrove thickets on several islands where pelicans nest. And scientists still are studying potential effects of the oil on populations of fish brown pelicans feed on.

Still, Hornaday remains cautiously optimistic. “The species may take a hit for a few years,” she says. But as its recovery in recent decades demonstrates, “this is a pretty resilient bird.” Brown pelicans evolved to cope with challenges such as hurricanes and periodic crashes in prey caused by El Niño, she adds. “These birds are adapted to boom and bust cycles.”

Voice: Low grunting, rarely heard. Begging nestlings give distinctive piping and moaning sounds, by which adults identify them.

Sources: “Oil Spill Hammers Brown Pelicans” by Laura Tangley, National Wildlife, October/November 2010; Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds and National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America.

Enter Our Photo Contest!

Jim Gray took the above photo of a brown pelican flying over Tampa Bay, Florida, and entered it in last year’s National Wildlife photo contest. Why not enter your best shots in the 41st annual National Wildlife Photo Contest this year? Winners in seven categories (including birds) will appear in National Wildlife magazine alongside images taken by some of the world’s top nature photographers.

But this May, with the growing oil spill, the threat of more drilling in the Arctic Circle and another Endangered Species Day upon us, it’s hard not to think about the wildlife.

One species I’m worried about this year is the Brown Pelican. Last November they were taken off the endangered species list, after recovering from the impacts of DDT. What will happen to them now that the BP oil spill is polluting their habitat?

And what about the many other species out there, that may disappear before most of us ever knew they existed?

But I don’t want to get everyone down.

Here are three things you can do to raise awareness about endangered wildlife in your community.

First, change your Facebook profile pic to a species you care about. You can download free photos you can use on Facebook here.

Second, you can share wildlife facts with us via Twitter. Just use the #speciesday hashtag, and let wildlife enthusiasts know what wildlife you care about. Need help getting started? We put together some sample tweets to pick from.

And finally, don’t forget to take action. Right now Shell Oil is getting ready to drill in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas— both important polar bear habitats. Stop them by pushing Secretary Salazar to block their leases. 

Both those seas are so far north, that Shell can only drill in the summer. If we can delay Shell Oil just one or two months, they’ll have to wait an entire year before they can try again.

Last year, NWF supporters like you pushed Secretary Salazar to finalize a proposal to create special protected habitat areas for polar bears. If we could accomplish that, I know we can protect polar bear habitat now.

>>Take action now!>>

On Endangered Species Day, it’s important to think about the many wildlife species at risk. But don’t let it get you down. Together we can make a difference.

Started by the Senate in 2006, Endangered Species Day is celebrated every year on the third Friday in May. This year’s momentous 5th anniversary Endangered Species Day promises to be the most engaging yet.

Endangered Species Day Resolution and Proclamation

Recently, the Endangered Species Day resolution was unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate. The resolution (S. Res. 503) “encourages the people of the United States to become educated about and aware of threats to species, success stories in species recovery and the opportunity to promote species conservation worldwide and to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Each year, over 100 events are held at parks, refuges, schools and museums around the nation. Events will be held at the United States Capitol, United States Botanic Garden, the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Maine Wildlife Park, the Bozeman Fish Hatchery, and many other locations!

We’ve detailed all of the exciting events and activities for you to be part of at our Endangered Species Day website. Also there, you can find a comprehensive Endangered Species Day toolkit to plan last minute events, including educational materials, media materials and outreach materials.

Endangered Species Day Landmark Events

Endangered Species Day at the U.S. Botanic Garden
100 Maryland Ave SW
Washington, DC 20002
Friday, May 21, 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM

The U.S. Botanic Garden is one of many botanic gardens worldwide that actively participate in the conservation of endangered species by maintaining live specimens in their collections, studying wild plants at risk, banking seeds of rare plants, and introducing rare plants to the horticultural trade. As one of 62 repositories for plants that have been seized by customs agents through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Botanic Garden accepts and cares for orchids and succulents. The event will focus on endangered plants and their relationship to pollinators and the environment.

Endangered Species Day at the Chula Vista Nature Center
Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Chula Vista, California
Friday, May 21, 10:30 AM

The Chula Vista Nature Center is a living, breathing, flapping, buzzing and splashing home to the unique animals and plants of Southern California. The Nature Center aquariums are home to Moray eels, Leopard sharks, stingrays, guitarfish and other marine life found in San Diego Bay. Rescued birds thrive at exhibits like Raptor Row and Eagle Mesa. Owls, pelicans, gnatcatchers and eagles are just a few of our resident native birds. The Nature Center partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, and independent biologists to captive – breed and release one of California’s most endangered water birds – the Light-footed Clapper Rail.

Golden Gate National Park Endangered Species Weekend
San Francisco, CA
May 21, 22 & 23, 2010

At the Golden Gate National Park there are more federally protected species than any other unit of the National Park System in continental North America: more than Yosemite, Yellowstone, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks combined! This is an opportunity to learn more about the many species in the park, It is also an opportunity to write about all the work that is being done to help, and why the Park is so important to the residents of San Francisco and Marin County. California red-legged frog, coho salmon, mission blue butterfly, Presidio clarkia are but a few of the species that will be focused on this weekend.

We really hope that you can participate in an Endangered Species Day event near you. To find more information about these and other events, please see the full events list on our website. Happy Endangered Species Day!