Endangered Species Recovery Act

I was glad to see that Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) helped to introduce the bipartisan Endangered Species Recovery Act on April 24. This legislation would help return a species to its natural population and habitat, not just keep it on the endangered species list in perpetuity.

The bill would provide for good scientific analysis and creation of recovery plans for species so that their populations would start to grow. The bill would also benefit landowners who commit to conservation by providing them with incentives.

The Endangered Species Act was created in 1973 to protect threatened and endangered species and their habitat. It has been instrumental in preventing certain species from becoming extinct, such as the California condor. It is time to take this a step further and revive species populations, which is what the Endangered Species Recovery Act would do through multiple landowner, multi-species conservation plans.

Hetal Mehta

Alhambra