Imagine a world with no black bears, sea turtles, or cerulean warblers. That's basically the world that the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) wants to give us. That foundation is ruthlessly trying to gut the Endangered Species Act which protects hundreds of United States animals from extinction. In brief, the PLF is trying to get the "take provision" removed from the Endangered Species Act.
The "take provision" is the heart of the ESA. It prohibits hunting, harassing, chasing, and wounding endangered species. Without this provision, the ESA is basically worthless. Reversing the take provision would, among other things, allow people to poach sea turtle eggs and even kill female sea turtles who come to shore in order to lay their eggs. Please join me in asking the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to dismiss this request without further ado.
Dear Mr. Ashe:
I think you know that the Endangered Species Act needs to be vigilantly protected from crackpots like the Pacific Legal Foundation. That group is currently lobbying to have the take provision taken out of the ESA. The take provision IS the Endangered Species Act. Without it, species have little or no protection, especially considering that landowners are allowed to develop land on which endangered species are known to exist. Please dismiss the request of the Pacific Legal Foundation without further ado.
