To the Editor:
Some of the most imperiled and least protect species across the United States are closer than ever to getting the Endangered Species Act protection they need.
Earlier this month, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., signed a landmark agreement between a conservation group, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The deal — the largest of its kind — sets out deadlines between now and 2018 for the agency to decide whether 757 plants and animals will be protected under the Act.
The deal affects some of the most fascinating species on our continent, including the American wolverine in the Rockies, Alaska's Pacific walrus, the West's Rio Grande cutthroat trout and scores of other birds, mammals, plants and fish.
These are all species that are facing the real prospect of extinction. This agreement sets out an important timetable for deciding whether they'll be placed on the endangered species list. The sooner that decision is made, the sooner protections can be enacted.
The judge's signature — the culmination of a long effort to put this agreement in place — will now move hundreds of plants and animals down the road to getting the help they need.
Signed,
Name
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