Term Papers on Endangered Species Act

Term Paper Title	Endangered Species Act
# of Words	2025
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	8.1

Endangered Species Act

     The people who make laws and regulation, and create management plans,
concerning old growth forests and factors affecting old growth forests, are the policy
makers.  Persons involved in creating policies and management plans are politicians,
committees, and federal and state government agencies.  There are many beliefs held by
policy makers concerning the northern spotted owl, because the policy makers are
supporting the environmentalists, logging industry, the public, interest groups, and
citizens.  Politicians opinions also vary due to the diversity of opinion between the voters
of each state, whom the politicians represent.  This portion of the paper will discuss the
statements and arguments made by policy makers concerning the northern spotted owl and
old growth forest.
     A major point that is argued, concerning the owls and the old growth forest, is that
since old growth forests are rapidly being cut, that the owls will soon not have any habitat
left.  The Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. =A7 1532, ESA =A7 3 (19)) states that
endangered species cannot be "harmed", and 50 C.F.R. =A7 17.3 states that "harm" could
be considered as habitat modification.  This makes harvesting practices very difficult to do
on old growth forests, because by destroying habitat, "harm" is being done.  The Forest
Service and Bureau of Land Management are required by the National Environmental
Protection Act (NEPA), the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act (MUSY), and the National
Forest Management Act (NFMA), to protect endangered species, but timber industries are
not regulated by these acts.  Therefore, the ESA is needed where the NEPA, MUSY, and
NFMA do not regulate harvesting practices on private lands.  The Subcommittee on
Environmental Protection, a committee of US senators, was formed to solve the spotted
owl/old growth forest issue.  Most of the committee members supported the ESA, but
they do not all support it the same way.  They all stated that the ESA is a good act, but the
act needs to be revised.  See Table 1.

Table 1.  Positions of State Senators Concerning the Northern Spotted Owl 1
Senator     State                   Is the owl to blame       How should the ESA
          Representing      for job losses?              be handled?
_______________________________________________________________
Mark                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Hatfield     Oregon     Yes                             should be revised
Robert                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Packwood     Oregon     Yes                             should be revised
Slade                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Gorton          Washington     Yes                             should be revised
Brock                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Adams          Washington     Yes/No          should be revised
Max                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Baucus          Montana     No               should be revised
Steve                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Symms          Idaho          Yes               should be revised
George                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Mitchell     Maine          No               should be revised
John                                   Approves ESA but ESA
Chafee          Rhode Island     No               should be revised
Joseph                                   Approves ESA but ESA
                Lieberman         Connecticut         No                                 should be revised

1Based on statements made by members of the Subcommittee on Environmental
Protection (US Government Printing Office 1992)

     The majority felt that one of the main problems with the act was the problem with
how listings should be dealt with.  Currently, species are usually listed without regard to
human needs, or economics.  Another problem is that some species listed as threatened or
endangered are actually subspecies of a primary species.  One example is the northern
spotted owl which is a subspecies of the spotted owl species.  Senator Steve Symms of
Idaho said the ESA should be renamed the "Geographically Specific Sub-population Act"
(US Government Printing Office 1992).  Senator Steve Symms also stated that few
species have been delisted since the ESA was enacted.  Many argue that recovery of most
endangered species is difficult or impossible.  Yet the Fish and Wildlife Service ...

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