Cattle Network Editorial: The Endangered Species Act

Cattle Editorial: The Endangered Species Act

The U.S. House of Representatives made the right move last month when they approved the Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act of 2005 (TESRA). It is high time that the ineffective and outdated Endangered Species Act (ESA) be fixed.

The ESA has been around since 1973. In over 31 years of its existence, only 10 species have been recovered. That equates to less than 1% of the species that have been listed as endangered. It is appalling that anything with such statistics has been kept around, and worse, used as a tool to control land and devastate livelihoods.

In a recent conversation with a top Department of Interior official, he wisely made the analogy that we wouldn’t drive around an old car made in 1973 without expecting to do some repairs once in a while. Likewise, it is irrational to keep a law on the books that is over three decades old without allowing an occasional update.

Ranchers have been among those who have had to bear the brunt of the heavy-handed restrictions that the ESA imposes on our land and our ability to operate our businesses. We have experienced it first hand as we have helplessly watched our livestock be destroyed by wolves and grizzlies, have had our water rights diminished for fish that may not even exist in our streams, and have had our federal grazing permits reduced year after year in the name of some species or another. All of this has been imposed on us without the benefit of sound science, and in the name of a law that is not truly conserving species.

TESRA, as passed by the House, will go a long ways toward correcting the problems of the ESA. It is a common sense, species-oriented piece of legislation that will make the ESA actually accomplish what it originally set out to do—conserve species—without penalizing the people who can and will contribute to their conservation. TESRA will improve the ESA by: (1) focusing on species recovery; (2) providing incentives; (3) increasing openness and accountability; (4) strengthening scientific standards; (5) creating bigger roles for state and local governments; (6) protecting private property owners; and (7) eliminating dysfunctional critical habitat designations.

Perhaps most important are the incentives and protections that TESRA provides for landowners and private parties to participate in on-the-ground conservation and recovery efforts. The antagonistic approach used by government agencies to “enforce” the ESA has only impeded species recovery and alienated those individuals whose livelihoods are at stake, yet can have the most positive impact on species. We have seen, through the example of sage grouse local working groups, that species conservation is at its best when developed and applied at the local level. This cooperative approach between landowners, government agencies, and other stakeholders has proven to be most effective. Additionally, collaborative species conservation plans that are developed on a site-specific basis will be much more successful in recovering species.

Ranchers are the original stewards of the land. We have an important role to play in species and habitat protection and we know that local partnerships and on-the-ground practices can achieve better results than federal mandates. Amending the Endangered Species Act is key in enabling this approach. We applaud Idaho ’s Congressmen for voting for TESRA and our Senators who are working toward the passage of a similar bill in the Senate.

Guest Opinion submitted by:

Mike Webster, ICA President-Elect