Brown Pelican Removed From Endangered Species List
Submitted by Andrew on November 11, 2009 – 9:47 pmNo Comment
Brown Pelican by davidcreebirder
It’s official! The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially removed the brown pelican from its list of endangered species earlier today!
The government listed the brown pelican as a protected species in 1970, under the predecessor to the Endangered Species Act, passed by Congress in 1973. The Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT pesticides in 1972 — the first step in the bird’s recovery. Since then, the government has partnered with other agencies to raise young pelicans. At one point, the brown pelican’s population may have dropped below 10,000, said Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife Tom Strickland. The government estimates there are now about 620,000 of the protected birds.
