Essay --

Animal protection and conservation acts began to appear in the 1900's following the near extinction of the bison and the passenger pigeon. Ignorance regarding the idea of extinction combined with the popularity of hunting, severely hurt these species. Hunters and naturalists killed wildlife for game and study without much thought for the species’ survival. In addition the rapid industrialization threatened the natural habitats of thousands of species. The first major piece of animal legislation was the Lacey Act of 1900 which prohibited interstate commerce of animals killed in violation of state gaming laws. Other laws of the era included the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 and the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (Klyza). In the 1960's legislation moved from regulation to preservation. The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 was the first real attempt at preservation. When designating 78 animals to the 1996 list, Secretary of the Interior Mark Udall said th at â€Å"an informed public will act to help reduce the dangers threatening these rare animals† (AP). The goal was to inform the public that certain species were in danger and to protect the species before major damage could occur. Although there was legislation prior to 1973, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was the most wide reaching and important pieces of environmental legislation that passed in the 1970's. Following a string of environmental disasters, citizens became more aware and started to demand environmental legislation. From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962, to the inaugural Earth day in 1970 with about 20 million attendees, environmental issues started to receive â€Å"massive exposure. This exposure helped consolidate a growing public awarene... ...roduct of the 1970’s and the environmental movement, is not the best law possible but it does do a fine job as the only real animal protection law. The ESA’s goal of preserving species â€Å" like others included in environmental legislation at the time, was unrealistic† (Klyza). The ESA could never do as much as its creators would have liked, but to repeal the law would leave hundreds of species unprotected. The country needs to protect the fragile ecosystems that it houses and the ESA has helped with that. The ESA is essential because it protects the ecosystems that once destroyed, cannot be rebuilt. The protection of ecosystems has truly become the ESA’s largest and most important contribution. The ESA or any similar legislation could not pass today with the intensely partisan Congress and thus it needs to stay as the only true protection for North American species.