For the Bald Eagle, 1994 was a very good year. After thirty years, the symbol of America’s strength and independence was taken off the endangered species list. Although the Bald Eagle is still considered threatened, its delisting indicates a remarkable comeback. Most people have heard about the Endangered Species Act, but there were several other pieces of legislation that sought to protect the nation’s natural treasures.

Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 Endangered Species Preservation Act in 1966 Endangered Species Conservation Act of 1969 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 1973 See "Key Documents" of this lesson for more information

In 1973 the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed. The new law combined and considerably strengthened the provisions of its predecessors and broke some new ground. The ESA protects both plants and animals (and their habitat) that are listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered or threatened. Endangered species are species that are in danger of becoming extinct. Threatened species are species that are likely to become endangered.

Significant amendments were enacted in 1978, 1982, and 1988, but the overall framework of the 1973 Act has remained essentially unchanged.

ESA’s principle provisions follow:

• U.S. and foreign species lists were combined, with uniform provisions applied to both [section 4];
• Categories of "endangered" and "threatened" were defined [section 3];
• Plants and all classes of invertebrates were eligible for protection, as they are under CITES [sec. 3];
• All Federal agencies were required to undertake programs for the conservation of endangered and threatened species, and were prohibited from authorizing, funding, or carrying out any action that would jeopardize a listed species or destroy or modify its "critical habitat" [section 7];
• Broad taking prohibitions were applied to all endangered animal species, which could apply to threatened animals by special regulation [section 9];
• Matching Federal funds became available for states with cooperative agreements [section 6];
• Authority was provided to acquire land for listed animals and for plants listed under CITES [section 5]; and
• U.S. implementation of CITES was provided [section 8].

Check out these links

Including the Endangered Species Act	A clickable map that lets you see what plants and animals are endangered in your state	There are many different views on threatened & endangered species