![](\"graphics\/listen.gif\"\/)
A group of concerned scientists have written a letter of protest to the Bush administration regarding its new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act. Signed by 38 environmental ethics specialists and wildlife biologists, the letter takes issue with a recent re-definition of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Under the new definition and interpretation put forth by Interior Department Solicitor David Bernhardt, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would respond only to species, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Signatories to the letter caution that such a distinction would effectively relieve the agency of many of its protective responsibilities. David Bernhardt has also interpreted the term, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153range,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to mean where a species currently lives and not their previous habitat. Such re-definitions \u00e2\u20ac\u0153will have real and profoundly detrimental impacts on the conservation of many species and the habitat upon which they depend,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d according to the scientists. The interpretations are being rationalized on the grounds that they would allow the focus of limited resources on species that are newly defined as being truly endangered and threatened. The Bush administration has granted fewer species endangered status than any previous administration since the Endangered Species Act became law in 1973. <\/p>\n Text of the letter: <\/p>\n April 30, 2007\t<\/p>\n Regarding: proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act Dear Secretary Kempthorne,<\/p>\n The U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973 gives Americans reason for great pride. It is the legal manifestation of America\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s deep moral commitment to Nature. Unfortunately, a recent Interior Solicitor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Opinion (memo M-37013, dated March 16, 2007) would have the effect of radically reducing the Act to something much less than Congress intended and the American people expect.<\/p>\n A key element of the Endangered Species Act is its definition of an \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as one \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at risk of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d This definition is the basis for determining which species ought to receive federal protection, and under what (future) conditions an endangered species ought to be considered recovered and no longer in need of legal safeguard. The recent Interior Solicitor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Opinion effectively reduces the definition of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by means of a complicated sleight of hand to merely being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153at risk of extinction.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The inappropriateness of this Opinion was articulated with rigor in a recent issue of the scholarly journal Conservation Biology.<\/p>\n This change of definition is more profoundly problematic than first appearance might suggest. Legislative history clearly indicates that merely being “at risk of extinction” is an inadequate definition for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Congressional intent about the act is clear: The Endangered Species Act is intended to allow species to be restored throughout large portions of their former range. The biological wisdom of this point was confirmed in a recent report on the Act from the National Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n Re-defining \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species\u00e2\u20ac\u009d will have real and profoundly detrimental impacts on the conservation of many species and the habitat upon which they depend. The proposed rule would have, for example, allowed our national symbol, the Bald Eagle, to become extinct in the lower 48 states, and would have allowed the grey whale to become extinct in U.S. waters. These are just two of the most visible successes of the Act; ones for which Congress rightly takes credit for its thoughtful leadership. <\/p>\n These and other species that have suffered extensive reduction in geographic distribution \u00e2\u20ac\u201c such as wolves, grizzly bears, and jaguars \u00e2\u20ac\u201c are particularly threatened by these proposed changes. Signed,<\/p>\n John C. Avise Paul Beier Steven R. Beissinger J. Baird Callicott Carlos Carroll Tracy Dobson James Hanken Eugene C. Hargrove Mark Hebblewhite Philip W. Hedrick David M. Hillis Stephen P. Hubbell Malcolm Hunter, Jr. Robin W. Kimmerer Mark Kirkpatrick Russell Lande Gary K. Meffe Peter L. Meserve Scott Mills Kathleen Dean Moore Craig Moritz Michael P. Nelson Bryan G. Norton Reed F. Noss Stuart L. Pimm Eric Post J. Michael Reed Holmes Rolston, III Lisa A. Shipley Michael E. Soul\u00c3\u00a9 James Gustave Speth Steve Stearns David Tallmon John Theberge John A. Vucetich David B. Wake Robert Wayne Edward O. Wilson | the entire program GUEST: Michael Halpern, Outreach Coordinator for the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists A group of concerned scientists have written a letter of protest to the Bush administration regarding its new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act. Signed by 38 environmental ethics specialists and wildlife biologists, the letter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-program"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uprisingradio.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.epa.gov\/maia\/images\/te-collage.gif\")
GUEST: Michael Halpern, Outreach Coordinator for the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists<\/em><\/p>\n
\nwww.forest.mtu.edu<\/p>\n
\nWe, the undersigned, request that you formally and publicly withdraw the Solicitor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Opinion. To side with this opinion is to side against logic, the moral commitments of the American people, the species that the Endangered Species Act is intended to protect, and Congressional intent. Please consult with our Nation\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leading environmental scholars in a formal manner that can bring clarity to terms such as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153endangered species\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153threatened species.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\nDistinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolution
\nUniversity of California at Irvine<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Conservation Biology & Wildlife Ecology
\nNorthern Arizona University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Conservation Biology and Departmental Chair
\nUniversity of California, Berkeley <\/p>\n
\nRegents\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Distinguished Professor of Environmental Ethics
\nUniversity of North Texas<\/p>\n
\nResearch Ecologist
\nKlamath Center for Conservation Research<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Fisheries and Wildlife
\nMichigan State University<\/p>\n
\nAlexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology
\nCurator in Herpetology, and Director Museum of Comparative Zoology
\nHarvard University<\/p>\n
\nEditor, Environmental Ethics
\nProfessor of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
\nUniversity of North Texas<\/p>\n
\nAssistant Professor of Ungulate Habitat Ecology
\nUniversity of Montana<\/p>\n
\nUllman Professor of Biology
\nArizona State University<\/p>\n
\nAlfred W. Roark Centennial Professor, Section of Integrative Biology
\nDirector, Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
\nUniversity of Texas<\/p>\n
\nDistinguished Research Professor, Department of Plant Biology
\nUniversity of Georgia<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Wildlife Ecology
\nUniversity of Maine<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Plant Ecology and Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment
\nState University of New York-Environmental Science and Forestry<\/p>\n
\nT.S. Painter Centennial Professor of Genetics
\nUniversity of Texas, Austin<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Biology and MacArthur Fellow
\nUniversity of California, San Diego<\/p>\n
\nEditor, Conservation Biology
\nProfessor of Conservation Biology
\nUniversity of Florida<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Population and Community Ecology
\nNorthern Illinois University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Wildlife Population Ecology
\nUniversity of Montana<\/p>\n
\nDistinguished University Professor of Environmental Ethics
\nOregon State University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor and Director of the Museum of Vertebrate Ecology
\nUniversity of California-Berkeley<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Professor of Environmental Philosophy and Ethics
\nMichigan State University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Environmental Ethics and Policy
\nGeorgia Institute of Technology<\/p>\n
\nDavis-Shine Professor of Conservation Biology
\nPresident, North American Section, Society for Conservation Biology
\nUniversity of Central Florida<\/p>\n
\nDoris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology
\nDuke University<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Professor of Biology
\nPennsylvania State University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Avian Ecology and Conservation Biology
\nTufts University<\/p>\n
\nUniversity Distinguished Professor of Environmental Ethics
\nColorado State University<\/p>\n
\nAssociate Professor of Wildlife Ecology
\nWashington State University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor Emeritus, Department of Environmental Studies
\nUniversity of California, Santa Cruz<\/p>\n
\nDean, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
\nYale University<\/p>\n
\nEdward P. Bass Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
\nYale University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Biology\/Marine Biology
\nUniversity of Alaska Southeast<\/p>\n
\nProfessor Emeritus, Wildlife Ecology
\nUniversity of Waterloo<\/p>\n
\nAssistant Professor of Population Ecology
\nMichigan Technological University<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of the Graduate School in Integrative Biology
\nMuseum of Vertebrate Zoology
\nUniversity of California at Berkeley<\/p>\n
\nProfessor of Population Genetics
\nUniversity of California-Los Angeles<\/p>\n
\nPellegrino Research Professor in Entomology
\nDepartment of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
\nHarvard University<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"