Editorial: Bald eagles impart lesson

Saturday, June 30, 2007 | 7:31 a.m.

Wh ere bald eagles would be today without the government protections provided to them 40 years ago cannot be known for certain. But their ever-dwindling numbers at that time provide evidence that they might now be extinct.

Listed as endangered in 1967, the year that only 417 mating pairs could be counted in the continental U.S., the eagles were given additional protections under the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

Today there are an estimated 10,000 mating pairs of bald eagles, with confirmed sightings in every contiguous state and the District of Columbia. Their recovery demonstrates the importance of accepting environmental laws as a necessary aspect of growth and pollution issues.

Habitat protection and the ban of the pesticide DDT were critical factors leading to Thursday's announcement by the Interior Department that bald eagles were being removed from the endangered species list.

Although the news about eagles is good, it should be remembered that a total of only 20 species have been "delisted" since 1973. An additional 560 species remain on the list, according to The Washington Post.

One of the species listed is the northern spotted owl, for which a recovery plan under the Endangered Species Act was adopted by federal agencies in 1992. The Bush administration, however, is proposing to greatly reduce the designated critical habitat of this bird of the Northwest forests.

We hope the recovery of the bald eagle imparts a lesson for the federal government - success can be achieved, but only over time. Recovery plans should all be respected despite industry or political pressure, so that other species, too, can have their day when they are delisted.