A Little More Info....

My dearest mother made me realize that I don't always put things into easy to understand terms or go into enough depth on some of my topics. I guess sometimes I just assume people can read minds... ah well. This post is a short FAQ for the post I did about the Endangered Species Act yesterday.

1) What is the Endangered Species Act of 1973?
This was legislation that was passed allowing a list to be made; prohibiting unauthorized sale, possession, and shipping of endangered species; authority to claim lands for the protection of the species; allows breeding programs; penalizes for violations and offers awards to people who help capture offenders; and prohibits the feds from using authority to reclaim lands.

2) So what is Bush trying to do?
That last part of the legislation is super important. You see, if a group of scientists decides to save an area of land for rare species protection, not even the government can go in and use the land for their purposes. By overturning this last little part, he is allowing the government to, just an example here, drill for oil in Yellowstone if they feel it is necessary for the sake of the USA.

3) How does this affect me?
While some may not see it this way, protected lands are our National Treasure. They are an invaluable source of native plants and animals, many of them symbols of America like the bison, mustang, and bald eagle. These animals are all part of a large ecosystem. Losing one species in an area can cause a great imbalance and throw many things off kilter.


Well, I hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, feel free to let me know!