The Endangered Species Act 1973

1. The Endangered Species Act 1973 -designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and development untempered by adequate concern and conservation.“- By: Elizabeth Bohrisch Period 4

2. Amendment Years: The 1973 Act implemented the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (T.I.A.S. 8249), signed by the United States on March 3, 1973, and the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere (50 Stat. 1354), signed by the United States on October 12, 1940. The Endangered Species Act of 1973: 1) authorized the determination and listing of species as endangered and threatened 2) prohibited unauthorized taking, possession, sale, and transport of endangered species 3) provided authority to acquire land for the conservation of listed species, using land and water conservation funds 4) authorized establishment of cooperative agreements and grants-in-aid to States that establish and maintain active and adequate programs for endangered and threatened wildlife and plants 5) authorized the assessment of civil and criminal penalties for violating the Act or regulations 6) authorized the payment of rewards to anyone furnishing information leading to arrest and conviction for any violation of the Act or any regulation issued there under

3. Group Responsible for Regulation and Enforcement of the Endangered Species Act President Richard Nixon declared current species conservation efforts to be inadequate and called on the 93rd United States Congress to pass comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded with a completely rewritten law, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 which was signed by Nixon on December 28, 1973. It was written by a team of lawyers and scientists, including the first appointed head of the Council on Environmental Quality.