Photo Credit: Dollar Photo Club
Protecting endangered species – using the Endangered Species Act to save imperiled wildlife
Endangered Species Act Protections
We are currently in the midst of the sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history. While extinction is a natural process, the current extinction rate is at least one thousand times the historical rate indicated by the fossil record. Blame for this sixth mass extinction can be placed squarely on humans. Habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, exploitation, and proliferation of non-native species—driven by human overpopulation and overconsumption—have resulted in a catastrophic loss of biodiversity.
One of the best tools we have for fighting species loss is the United States Endangered Species Act. This is our nation’s most powerful environmental law, and since it was passed in 1973, the Act has been 99 percent successful at preventing the extinction of listed species. But many plant and animal species scientists consider imperiled have not been listed under the Endangered Species Act. Moreover, thanks to a loophole in the listing process, even species deemed deserving of listing must often wait years on the candidate list before they are protected. Some of these species have gone extinct while awaiting listing.
We have an energetic and dogged campaign to usher imperiled species onto the legal ark of the Endangered Species Act and then use the Act’s full powers to ensure those species’ survival and recovery. We fight for the imperiled species that don’t have the luxury of time.
Guardians and the Endangered Species Act
Learn more about our work on the Endangered Species Act, including how we secured Endangered Species Act protections for nearly 200 imperiled species.
Candidate Settlement Milestone
In 2011, we entered into an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that resulted in Endangered Species Act protections for nearly 200 species awaiting listing.
ESA Listing Petitions
We have submitted numerous petitions to federal agencies seeking protection for imperiled species. You can find those petitions here.
Threatened + Endangered Species List
See a list of endangered species that we work to protect.
On the ESA Waiting List
Find out why imperiled species languish on the endangered species list for years and how we saved many species from that fate.
Education and Outreach
Our work is backed by the best available science, and we strive to make our research transparent through our research and reports. We also conduct public education campaigns to increase tolerance and promote coexistence, particularly for species that have not been afforded the legal protections of the Endangered Species Act.
Prairie Dog Day
February 2nd is officially recognized as Groundhog Day, but here in the West we celebrate Prairie Dog Day. Prairie Dog Day events invite the public to more fully understand prairie dogs and their communities, and learn how the status of prairie dogs affects the health of our western grasslands. For 10 years, we released our annual Report from the Burrow: Forecast of the Prairie Dog on Prairie Dog Day, rating how Western states are, or are not, ensuring the species’ health.
“The Troubles With Trapping” New Mexican Roadshow
WildEarth Guardians, as part of the TrapFreeNM.org coalition, organized this eight-city tour of New Mexico in 2012 to highlight the dangers associated with public lands trapping. We set out to meet New Mexico’s citizens and voters face-to-face in order to elevate the issue, raise awareness, and capture the attention of decision makers.
Coexisting With Cougars
Public education is key to maintaining tolerance for the West’s charismatic big cats and ensuring their conservation. We have organized a multitude of educational talks on cougars in Colorado and New Mexico. By improving awareness and understanding of these native cats, we can promote common-sense precautions to eliminate potential human-cougar conflicts.
Recent Stories From Wildlife

Guardians calls for wildlife and public lands restoration economic stimulus
Bold investments in the restoration of public lands, waters, and fish and wildlife habitat will create jobs and stimulate the economy

New opportunities with a Biden administration
WildEarth Guardians will demand action on our Vision for the Wild

New opportunities with a Biden administration
WildEarth Guardians will demand action on our Vision for the Wild

New opportunities with a Biden administration
WildEarth Guardians will demand action on our Vision for the Wild
Wildlife Press
Trump’s Parting Gift to the NRA
While our attention rightfully has been focused on the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Trump administration has quietly been attacking our country on another front. On January 13, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to assist the National Rifle Association to recruit and train hunters to shoot wildlife.
Read more >Red Cliffs Desert Reserve acquires a new patch of desert tortoise habitat while the Northern Corridor Highway moves forward
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced this week its acquisition of just under 53 acres of land within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve that had been privately owned but will now be managed by the state for the benefit of the Mojave desert tortoise, a federally threatened species that thrives in this type of habitat.
Read more >info@wildearthguardians.org | © 2020 WildEarth Guardians | Historical Archives | Privacy Policy | Log In