The Nation - News from Jan. 20, 1989

Fifteen years after Congress enacted a law to protect endangered species, most of the nearly 500 types of animals and plants show no signs of recovery and many continue their slide toward extinction, a congressional study said. The General Accounting Office criticized a practice by the Fish and Wildlife Service of concentrating on high-profile species, such as the bald eagle and Aleutian Canada goose, over species on the verge of extinction. “Instead of giving priority to the most endangered species and to those actions needed to prevent extinctions in the foreseeable future, as required by its guidelines, FWS instead is concentrating recovery funds on species with high ‘public appeal’ and those approaching recovery,” the GAO wrote. “FWS officials told GAO that the desire for a positive public view of the program . . . is motivating its actions.” Rep. Gerry E. Studds (D-Mass.), who requested the study by the congressional watchdog agency, said the GAO’s conclusions “reinforce my own view that a more serious and professional approach to protecting endangered species is required if the goals of federal law are to be met.”