What Landowners Need to Know as We Celebrate 50 Years of the Endangered Species Act

At the heart of the Endangered Species Act is a safety net for our nation’s wildlife, fish and plants on the brink of extinction. The Act protects thousands of endangered species and millions of acres of habitat. Too often we read about species-related crises and conflict, while success stories go relatively unpublicized and uncelebrated. While the ESA is frequently portrayed as a command-control approach to wildlife conservation, that portrayal isn’t always true, and it certainly doesn’t need to be. Indeed, the ESA works most effectively when its requirements never come into play because it spurs proactive conservation actions among federal, state, and private sector stakeholders, including the private landowners who manage more than 95 percent of Texas lands. The successes of the gopher tortoise, the greater sage grouse, and others are examples of the flexibility and creativity that can be employed under the ESA. <a href="https://medium.com/wild-wonderings/what-landowners-need-to-know-as-we-celebrate-50-years-of-the-endangered-species-act-5aeb3baa3211">Website</a>