Happy Endangered Species Day!

Swamp pink, a beautiful member of the lily
family, has been listed under the ESA since
1988. It occurs in headwater streams
and mountain bogs from New Jersey to
Georgia. Credit: Gene Nieminen/USFWS

More than five years ago, the U.S. Senate decided that Mother Nature's less fortunate children deserved a holiday--an opportunity for us to remember the important roles that different and unique animals and plants play in the health and future of our nation. 

In the Northeast, more than 90 types of wildlife benefit from the protections under the Endangered Species Act, from the Appalachian monkeyface mussel and the roseate tern to the Maryland darter and the Chittenango ovate amber snail. 

Sure, no one's happy that almost one hundred of our plants and animals have faced or are threatened with extinction. But today we celebrate the existence of the Endangered Species Act, the landmark conservation law that we credit with the recovery of the bald eagle, brown pelican, American alligator and Maguire daisy. The ESA is a critical safety net for America's native, fish wildlife and plants, and we can only imagine the plight of wildlife without its protection.

The dwarf wedgemussel is small,
but its presence means a lot. This endangered
mussel indicates that you've got good, clean
water. Credit: Susi von Oettingen/USFWS

Thus, this Friday, we celebrate the efforts protecting America's threatened, endangered and at-risk wildlife. We honor the dedicated people who work to ensure their continued existence through many activities, from constructing a culvert to provide Atlantic salmon passage under roads to erecting a small fence protecting the flowering alpine plant Robbins' cinquefoil, monitoring shorebirds like the piping plover, and maintaining sedge meadows for bog turtles.

America’s outdoors belongs to all of us, and we share the work to ensure the health of our wildlife for now and for our future. Tune in next week for posts highlighting the work that we're doing for our Northeast wildlife in need, and share with us what you're doing to help.

More: 
Endangered Species Day Video
Endangered Species Day Website