When President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) into law forty-six years ago today, he said, “Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” 

The ESA was passed because Americans believed that protecting our wildlife was an obligation to future generations, our nation’s environmental health, our fellow creatures, and the heart of the American way of life. It included wildlife ranges and habitats irrespective of political boundaries because these habitats, which are vital to species survival, cross arbitrary lines.

Despite 46 years of success in saving endangered species, the current administration has finalized a series of regulatory rollbacks that fundamentally undermine key portions of the ESA. The reversals make it harder to protect wildlife from multiple threats, including habitat loss and those posed by climate change.

Today, it’s essential to remember the values that the government embraced over four decades ago by taking action to protect one of the most successful bipartisan pieces of legislation our country has ever adopted.

If that isn’t a world for you, please contact your members of Congress and urge them to protect the ESA.