By Dr. Todd Wildermuth

Photo of a yellow-shouldered blackbird by Mike Morel/USFWS. 

The Endangered Species Act turned 50 years old in 1973 and appears to be entering a phase of intense stress. Though some species have recovered and others have been prevented from sliding into extinction, many trendlines are not positive for the ESA. In the physical world of living things, troubled species are getting more troubled, and many common species are becoming less common. In the parallel world of written laws and regulations, key policymakers are seeking ways to limit the ESA’s implementation. Where does that leave us? What actions can we take? And if the ESA has long struggled to do its job, what reforms do we need most? This presentation takes on those questions by reaching back to the ESA’s beginnings, exploring the Act’s course of the past 50 years, and ending with the most recent proposals to amend ESA regulations or suspend their enforcement.

Todd A. Wildermuth is an associate teaching professor of law at the University of Washington School of Law, as well as policy director of the School’s environmental clinic. He teaches courses on natural resources law, wildlife law, ocean and coastal law, and endangered species management. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Wildlife Diversity Advisory Council for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. He lives with his family in Seattle.