Endangered Species Act of 1973

 "This is the environmental awakening. It marks a new sensitivity of the American spirit and a new maturity of American public life. It is working a revolution in values, as commitment to responsible partnership with nature replaces cavalier assumptions that we can play God with our surroundings and survive."  speech in 1972 by Richard Nixon in outlining his agenda to congress to have an environmental protection law.

He specifically asked for a new Endangered Species Act that would provide early identification and protection of threatened species, and treat hunting or capturing endangered species as a federal offense. In 1973, the House and Senate versions were combined. The Senate passed the bill unanimously, and the House by a vote of 355 to 4.

It was on December 28 in 1973 that the Endangered Species Act was signed into law by President Nixon. There had been wildlife conservation laws in place for decades. In the late 19th century, the passenger pigeon was almost gone, the whooping crane population had plummeted, and many other species were being hunted into extinction — for food, for fashionable clothing, and sometimes just for fun. In 1900, the Lacey Act was passed, regulating the sale of illegally captured or hunted wildlife across state lines. But the Lacey Act could only do so much; the passenger pigeon went extinct, and by 1941, there were only about 16 whooping cranes left in the wild. The whooping crane became the inspiration for the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, which set aside money to buy habitat for endangered species. Amendments made the laws stricter for using products that came from endangered species. In 1970, the Department of the Interior proposed adding the sperm whale to its list of endangered species, and the Pentagon and Commerce Department protested because the Navy used sperm whale oil in its submarines. It was clear that more comprehensive legislation was necessary.

Biologist Daniel H. Janzen said: "For what DNA literacy if we have extinguished the books?" referring I suppose to the books of all wildlife.

Thanks Writer's Almanac for remembering this in 2013

Big Bear CA eagles Shadow and Jackie and triplet eggs 2.28.24, none of which hatched, unfortunately.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a good site which offers information that is more up-to-date. endangered-species-species-information-factsheets  

There are over 1,300 species listed as either endangered or threatened in the United States under the Endangered Species Act. The Fish and Wildlife Service, in the Department of the Interior, and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service, in the Department of Commerce, share responsibility for administering the ESA.